Jeffrey has been the Kronos Quartet's cellist for exactly 5 years now. I posted a video of him earlier where he is performing Michael Gordon's 'Industry' and had the occasion to ask him some questions. Below his replies!
1) What inspires you?
I tend to find inspiration from many different directions. Whether it is a book that I am reading or a song or a band that I am into, I feel that the most important quality is to be as open as one can be. At the moment, I am reading a set of short stories by Stacey Richter entitled, "Twin Study". In addition to being expertly written, her stories are cleverly sculpted with twists that are often pretty shocking. But most of all, what I like about her writing style is that it is personal and in a voice that is completely her own.
2) In what ways did your musical repertoire and lifestyle change after having joined the Kronos Quartet?
Musically, the range and scope of my performing required a good amount of expansion. Working with Kronos means being a part of an organization that is constantly challenging itself artistically and technologically. In addition to playing the cello, over the years I have bowed fences and gongs, played the harmonica, an arsenal of percussion, water bowls, and the electric bass. I have also become fluent in working with amplification and electronic effects. My learning curve was quite steep but the rewards have been tremendous.
Lifestyle wise, the biggest change that occurred for me was having to deal with the travel. We are on the road approximately 5-5 1/2 months a year. As grueling as that can be, everything became much more complicated when my wife and I had our first child a couple of years ago. Jugging our time together is a huge challenge.
3) What kind of artistic projects would you like to be part of in the future?
My wife [Paola Prestini] is a really wonderful composer who is constantly finding inspiration from so many sources. Finding the time to work together hasn't always been easy. And when I am not working with the quartet, I usually prefer to just stay home and be together with my family. However, I am always trying to find ways to collaborate with her as she is an extremely brilliant and inspired artist.
Thank you, Jeffrey, and I wish a lot more expansion to you, your family and the Kronos Quartet!
http://www.kronosquartet.org/
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