10 Questions with Jean Laurenz
Where did you grow up?
Mount Prospect IL- a suburb of Chicago
How would you describe the music that you typically create/perform?
Contemporary Classical and Urban Classical braided together with everything else in between. We are calling this album Meta-Classical since it is inspired by Lafcadio Hearn whom Jonathan Dee classified as a “Meta-Folklorist”. Hearn would insert himself inside of ancient folk stories, and so we are inserting Hearn into contemporary musical genres. The album is full of my favorite types of music, blending western classical traditions with contemporary symphonic music, folk-like lyrical melodies, avante-garde, pop/hip-hip, and alternative edge.
Impossible Burger, beyond burger, regular burger, or turkey burger?
Ice cream sandwich?
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Noga Erez, Son Lux, Billie Eilish, yMusic, Brandon Ridenour, Reinhold Friedrich, Maria Finkelmeier!
What ‘s your favorite part of your new album Descended?
My favorite part is that my favorite parts keep changing. Right now I’m in love with Orbs of Ghostliness--it is so beautifully written, recorded, and produced, and I love how it will never be the same in any one performance. I also love Mujina for its wild insanity. I don’t think there is anything like it, and it was so fun to record and go from scream to belt to extended trumpet technique all in one breath. I also love Muse(s) and Mirror of Matsuyama for a lifted spirit while on the move.
What was the inspiration behind you and Maria Finkelmeier putting this album together?
The biggest inspiration was Lafcadio Hearn! If you haven’t read his ghostly writing, go check it out! It is so beautiful, and still topical. He wrote about ghost and folk stories, but also about underrepresented spiritual cultures that were being pushed out by western culture. I had been wanting to do a collaborative project about his amazing story for a long time. I saw Maria perform in Boston and it really stuck. It was one of those beautiful artistic experiences that changed the course of my creative motivation. When I got funding to create a multimedia/multi-faceted sonic art project, her name was the first on my mind.
Has there been one particular moment in your musical career that you're most proud of?
I’m more proud of a general accomplishment which is having resilience through Fear. The whole album and the greater DESCENDED project is about the fear experience, and how it can be beautiful. Sometimes fear is a valid alarm system, and other times it’s something to breathe through and lean into. I’m proud of identifying what my fears mean, and cultivating authenticity and direction through the feeling. This has allowed me to create and Dare to DO.
What’s the next thing for you ?
Maria and I are going to revamp and launch the multimedia performance piece that accompanies this album. It will be part chamber music, part theater, part visual art and it will be stunning :) I will also continue all of my other flavorful projects at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Outside of all things music, what is something you love doing?
I love being active outside -- rock climbing, running, or spending time in a hammock with my dog and my coffee.
If you could have dinner with any 3 musicians living or dead who would the be ( why? )
Alethea Hearn-Lafcadio’s first wife. She was born into slavery (Mid 19th century) and Lafcadio was fired from his jobs because he married outside of what was considered his “race”, which was illegal at the time. Nothing is really known about Alethea, but I believe she sang. I want to know her story which has been completely neglected and forgotten amongst all of the Hearn biographies. No one even really knows why or how they separated, or what happened to her.
Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) because she was the original “BossLady” in Western Music.
Billie Eilish/Finneas - I’d love to sit down and have a conversation with them, or any of the musicians I listed above, and talk about their process. The process of creating is fascinating, and I’d love to gather stories about how different amazing artists approach it.