July 2, 2020 • 7 mins
The three Black women who make up the String Queens are on a mission to change the audience for classical music—and the perception of what that music should be. Their strategy includes mixing things up, with compositions by everyone from Handel to Adele. We talk to the String Queens’ violinist, Kendall Isadore, about the power of music to heal, inspire and transform.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day. We just
need to look for it and share it. Here's something
(00:26):
Good for Today. So many of us are still working
from home these days, and that does have one big advantage.
We can play the music we like as we sit
at our computers, and with so many listening hours available,
this is a great time to explore types of music
we don't ordinarily get to hear. That may be why
(00:46):
classical music is enjoying a surge right now. One streaming
site recently saw its classical music listenership grow at double
digit rates in just a few weeks. If you're not
already a classical music fan, here's a group that could
change your mind about the genre, The String Queens. This
trio of black women has made it their mission to
change the face of classical music, including by making it
(01:09):
more inclusive so that it appeals to all ages, ethnicities,
and backgrounds. The String Queens have played everywhere from Carnegie
Hall to the Moscow Conservatory and collaborated with stars like
Ariana Grande, Janelle Monet, and Aretha Franklin, as well as
many classical orchestras. Today we'll talk to Kendall Is, a
Door of the String Queens, and we'll find out how
(01:31):
the String Queens are using their music to heal, transform
and inspire. Now a little backstory about the String Queens
and the world they play in. Despite the increase in listenership,
classical music is still perceived as music for an older
white audience. Orchestras are less than diverse. Fewer than two
percent of orchestra members in the US are black. But
(01:53):
the pandemic has created new opportunities. When concert halls closed
for COVID musicians again, live streaming practices and performances, and
that means the usual barriers have come down, which makes
us the perfect time for more and more audiences to
learn about the String Queens, whose music seeks to build bridges.
The trio is comprised of Elise Sharp, who plays cello,
(02:16):
Kendall Is a Door on violin, and Dawn Johnson, who
plays the viola. Their approach is to mix things up.
The String Queens repertoire ranges across centuries and genres, and
includes composers from Handel to Adele. Elise Sharp says, quote,
we're actually modeling what we believe the musical world should
be like. For string queens. Reaching a wider audience means
(02:39):
acting as a bridge between classical and mainstream pop and
between races. We spoke to Kendall is a door of
the string queens. Here's what she had to say. And
So I started playing violin at age nine. I was
in fourth grade. I was one of maybe two or
three of their minority children. I think I was the
(02:59):
only one. And my first orchestra and my first music classes,
and it didn't determine at that time. I noticed it.
But the violin was so attractive to me that I
just wanted to conquer it. And I really believed it
was for me. I believe that just like music, it's
it's for all of us. And so even though there
was virtually no diversity in my early music classes and
(03:22):
orchestras and Honor orchestras and all state orchestras, and I
speak for all the members of the string Queens when
I say this, it wasn't the disappointment that we may
see an experience now as adults or even as teenagers.
But wasn't until sort of the later years that the
lack of diversity really left the mark from an imprint
on not only my experience but the experience of the
(03:43):
other two string queens and all of our colleagues. We
realized that our mission and our message to continue to
inspire young people, young musicians every single day. All three
of us are orchestra directors and public schools in d C.
And so we are so happy and blessed that people
love our music, our music the EP we just put
out in November, we actually believe that we could create
(04:06):
a product that had something on there for everyone. So
we thought about the music that we love to listen to,
that our parents love to listen to, and that they
that inspired us uh throughout our childhood. And so for example,
for me, I grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, I
grew up listening to Earth Wind and Fire. I grew
up listening to jazz. And it's the exact thing for
(04:28):
the other two shrinkings. And and so we said, what
would we want to hear? And it's not that people
didn't love when we played Queen and Ceba, you know,
by Handle or you know, water Music or any of
these wonderful, awesome pieces. They loved that too. But the
soul and the excitement and the inspiration and the energy
and the vigor that came from these other genres with
(04:51):
its really just connected with people and and they embraced us,
and they embraced the music. And I know that we're
in a pretty tumultuous climate right now in our country,
but we do believe that music is a universal language,
and so it is all about bringing us all together
and music. There may be other ways to bring us
all together, but we believe that music is sort of
(05:13):
the number one thing that connects us all. It finds
the deepest heart and the deepest essence of the human spirit,
and it touches that human spirit, and it moves that
human spirit, and it inspires that human spirit. And that's
all we want to do. Are sort of tagline is,
you know, the strengthling seeks to create music that inspires
(05:33):
people to love, to hope, to feel, and to imagine.
Music absolutely has the power to heal. I I think
of music it's almost a meditative experience. It is a
healing force and what it does, it transcends all efforts
that man throughout the ages has used to, you know,
(05:55):
try to impare people apart or try to break people down.
Music is what the old people are. It's so inspiring
to talk to Kendall. I love what she said about
music being for everyone, that it's a gift that has
given to all of us, so let's cherish it. So
here's something good for today. We could all use a
(06:17):
little healing right now, and music is a wonderful way
to make that happen. As Kendall says, music can move
the human spirit. A great way to expand your listening
is to add The String Queens to your collection. Check
out their debut album, self titled The String Queens. Yeah.
(07:06):
You can find it on their website at The String
Queens dot com. Have a great day, Thank you for listening,
and please share today's something Good with others in your life.
This is Kim Azarelli, co author of Fast Forward and
(07:29):
co founder of Seneca Women. To learn more about Seneca Women,
go to Seneca Women dot com or download the Seneca
Women app free in the app store. Care Something Good
is a production of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and
I heart Radio have a great Day. For more podcasts
(07:50):
from my heart Radio, check out the i heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day. We just
need to look for it and share it. Here's something
(00:26):
Good for Today. So many of us are still working
from home these days, and that does have one big advantage.
We can play the music we like as we sit
at our computers, and with so many listening hours available,
this is a great time to explore types of music
we don't ordinarily get to hear. That may be why
(00:46):
classical music is enjoying a surge right now. One streaming
site recently saw its classical music listenership grow at double
digit rates in just a few weeks. If you're not
already a classical music fan, here's a group that could
change your mind about the genre, The String Queens. This
trio of black women has made it their mission to
change the face of classical music, including by making it
(01:09):
more inclusive so that it appeals to all ages, ethnicities,
and backgrounds. The String Queens have played everywhere from Carnegie
Hall to the Moscow Conservatory and collaborated with stars like
Ariana Grande, Janelle Monet, and Aretha Franklin, as well as
many classical orchestras. Today we'll talk to Kendall Is, a
Door of the String Queens, and we'll find out how
(01:31):
the String Queens are using their music to heal, transform
and inspire. Now a little backstory about the String Queens
and the world they play in. Despite the increase in listenership,
classical music is still perceived as music for an older
white audience. Orchestras are less than diverse. Fewer than two
percent of orchestra members in the US are black. But
(01:53):
the pandemic has created new opportunities. When concert halls closed
for COVID musicians again, live streaming practices and performances, and
that means the usual barriers have come down, which makes
us the perfect time for more and more audiences to
learn about the String Queens, whose music seeks to build bridges.
The trio is comprised of Elise Sharp, who plays cello,
(02:16):
Kendall Is a Door on violin, and Dawn Johnson, who
plays the viola. Their approach is to mix things up.
The String Queens repertoire ranges across centuries and genres, and
includes composers from Handel to Adele. Elise Sharp says, quote,
we're actually modeling what we believe the musical world should
be like. For string queens. Reaching a wider audience means
(02:39):
acting as a bridge between classical and mainstream pop and
between races. We spoke to Kendall is a door of
the string queens. Here's what she had to say. And
So I started playing violin at age nine. I was
in fourth grade. I was one of maybe two or
three of their minority children. I think I was the
(02:59):
only one. And my first orchestra and my first music classes,
and it didn't determine at that time. I noticed it.
But the violin was so attractive to me that I
just wanted to conquer it. And I really believed it
was for me. I believe that just like music, it's
it's for all of us. And so even though there
was virtually no diversity in my early music classes and
(03:22):
orchestras and Honor orchestras and all state orchestras, and I
speak for all the members of the string Queens when
I say this, it wasn't the disappointment that we may
see an experience now as adults or even as teenagers.
But wasn't until sort of the later years that the
lack of diversity really left the mark from an imprint
on not only my experience but the experience of the
(03:43):
other two string queens and all of our colleagues. We
realized that our mission and our message to continue to
inspire young people, young musicians every single day. All three
of us are orchestra directors and public schools in d C.
And so we are so happy and blessed that people
love our music, our music the EP we just put
out in November, we actually believe that we could create
(04:06):
a product that had something on there for everyone. So
we thought about the music that we love to listen to,
that our parents love to listen to, and that they
that inspired us uh throughout our childhood. And so for example,
for me, I grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, I
grew up listening to Earth Wind and Fire. I grew
up listening to jazz. And it's the exact thing for
(04:28):
the other two shrinkings. And and so we said, what
would we want to hear? And it's not that people
didn't love when we played Queen and Ceba, you know,
by Handle or you know, water Music or any of
these wonderful, awesome pieces. They loved that too. But the
soul and the excitement and the inspiration and the energy
and the vigor that came from these other genres with
(04:51):
its really just connected with people and and they embraced us,
and they embraced the music. And I know that we're
in a pretty tumultuous climate right now in our country,
but we do believe that music is a universal language,
and so it is all about bringing us all together
and music. There may be other ways to bring us
all together, but we believe that music is sort of
(05:13):
the number one thing that connects us all. It finds
the deepest heart and the deepest essence of the human spirit,
and it touches that human spirit, and it moves that
human spirit, and it inspires that human spirit. And that's
all we want to do. Are sort of tagline is,
you know, the strengthling seeks to create music that inspires
(05:33):
people to love, to hope, to feel, and to imagine.
Music absolutely has the power to heal. I I think
of music it's almost a meditative experience. It is a
healing force and what it does, it transcends all efforts
that man throughout the ages has used to, you know,
(05:55):
try to impare people apart or try to break people down.
Music is what the old people are. It's so inspiring
to talk to Kendall. I love what she said about
music being for everyone, that it's a gift that has
given to all of us, so let's cherish it. So
here's something good for today. We could all use a
(06:17):
little healing right now, and music is a wonderful way
to make that happen. As Kendall says, music can move
the human spirit. A great way to expand your listening
is to add The String Queens to your collection. Check
out their debut album, self titled The String Queens. Yeah.
(07:06):
You can find it on their website at The String
Queens dot com. Have a great day, Thank you for listening,
and please share today's something Good with others in your life.
This is Kim Azarelli, co author of Fast Forward and
(07:29):
co founder of Seneca Women. To learn more about Seneca Women,
go to Seneca Women dot com or download the Seneca
Women app free in the app store. Care Something Good
is a production of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and
I heart Radio have a great Day. For more podcasts
(07:50):
from my heart Radio, check out the i heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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