Khari Joyner
Of Joy, Brilliance and Liberty
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During his studies at Juilliard for his Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s (BM/MM) Program Khari Joyner participated in the Barnard-Columbia Juilliard Exchange Program concentrating in Mathematics. Currently he is in his second year of the Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) program at Juilliard. In addition to being a busy cello musician, he is also an avid chess player.
Dear Khari, we know of your love and dedication to cello. But are you still involved in mathematics and chess games? |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
Yes, cello is my main priority. Still I am able to do quite a bit of work directly related to the mathematical field. While mostly all theoretical, I find it very rewarding to be able to combine mathematics and musical topics. There is a large deal of research on how these two fields are related. But relative shortfalls and lacunae remain to be filled on exactly how one can see the evolution of this connection.
At times, however, I become more interested in the math for its own sake, and learning a new theory in principality. This doesn’t detract at all from the big picture of being able to extract and put to use in some musical form.
As far as chess, I play more recreationally whenever I have free time, often with friends and colleagues. I find that even returning to it here and there allow me to stimulate another part of my brain that I might not be using during playing and research.
Who knows, perhaps there could be links drawn to music and chess as it relates to artists intellectually. Hence many famous chess matches, for example between Sergei Prokofiev and Maurice Ravel.
I should note, I am by no means a serious chess pro or master! I have great respect though for individuals who dedicate their craft to learning the art of chess in ways I find incredible, such as in blitz chess or even blindfold chess!
You have performed for President Obama, President Clinton, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou and other distinguished personalities. Are you more nervous in events with special audience members or is it the same energy as performing in Carnegie Hall or Alice Tully Hall or other venues?
To be quite honest, I feel a similar energy when performing for these renowned and esteemed public figures as I do when in Carnegie or Tully, etc.
Mostly this has to do with the amount of performing I have done thus far, and my intentions as an artist to deliver the utmost sincerity and generosity in my performing. As I have grown artistically, I often shift the focus from my own state of being to what I am creating musically, and how I would like to present it.
Perhaps another huge part of it is my background performing for high profile people and events from time to time ever since I was younger. I can remember one of my first experiences, performing for the late Coretta Scott-King, with my brothers as part of a celebration event for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event was absolutely incredible, and especially having met her afterwards—I am extremely humbled an honored to have had this opportunity, as well as countless others listed above and throughout my playing career thus far.
As a non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor, you are a huge supporter of the American Cancer Society and of organizations working with Cancers and Blood Disorders. You also perform regularly for patients in the same hospital where you were once a patient. What kind of emotional journey is that for you? What’s the role of music in fighting pain and boosting confidence?
I feel that a large part of my performances for the ACS and hospital patients is a way to give back to the many organizations that gave incredible care and aid not only to me, but thousands of other individuals having gone through a similar journey.
In many ways, I was able to witness what effect music had on my progress through my treatment, and I think this link was incredibly strong. In performing where I was treated at the Emory’s Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, for example, I can sit in a binary role as performer and patient simultaneously, so the emotion and power in performing can be overwhelming at times, but doesn’t detract from the larger main mission of giving back and speaking through music.
I think a large portion of why music is healing is because of the way our body receives sounds, rather consonant or dissonant. This goes back to ancient times, in which humans were moved to all types of emotions by music. Furthermore, music can then uplift one into good health and happiness, because of its nature (at times) to carry this quality of joy, brilliance, and liberty.
I believe my desire to want to play certain works and to feel the cello in my hands again, made a huge contribution to my healing, especially for how rapid I progressed.
At times, however, I become more interested in the math for its own sake, and learning a new theory in principality. This doesn’t detract at all from the big picture of being able to extract and put to use in some musical form.
As far as chess, I play more recreationally whenever I have free time, often with friends and colleagues. I find that even returning to it here and there allow me to stimulate another part of my brain that I might not be using during playing and research.
Who knows, perhaps there could be links drawn to music and chess as it relates to artists intellectually. Hence many famous chess matches, for example between Sergei Prokofiev and Maurice Ravel.
I should note, I am by no means a serious chess pro or master! I have great respect though for individuals who dedicate their craft to learning the art of chess in ways I find incredible, such as in blitz chess or even blindfold chess!
You have performed for President Obama, President Clinton, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou and other distinguished personalities. Are you more nervous in events with special audience members or is it the same energy as performing in Carnegie Hall or Alice Tully Hall or other venues?
To be quite honest, I feel a similar energy when performing for these renowned and esteemed public figures as I do when in Carnegie or Tully, etc.
Mostly this has to do with the amount of performing I have done thus far, and my intentions as an artist to deliver the utmost sincerity and generosity in my performing. As I have grown artistically, I often shift the focus from my own state of being to what I am creating musically, and how I would like to present it.
Perhaps another huge part of it is my background performing for high profile people and events from time to time ever since I was younger. I can remember one of my first experiences, performing for the late Coretta Scott-King, with my brothers as part of a celebration event for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event was absolutely incredible, and especially having met her afterwards—I am extremely humbled an honored to have had this opportunity, as well as countless others listed above and throughout my playing career thus far.
As a non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor, you are a huge supporter of the American Cancer Society and of organizations working with Cancers and Blood Disorders. You also perform regularly for patients in the same hospital where you were once a patient. What kind of emotional journey is that for you? What’s the role of music in fighting pain and boosting confidence?
I feel that a large part of my performances for the ACS and hospital patients is a way to give back to the many organizations that gave incredible care and aid not only to me, but thousands of other individuals having gone through a similar journey.
In many ways, I was able to witness what effect music had on my progress through my treatment, and I think this link was incredibly strong. In performing where I was treated at the Emory’s Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, for example, I can sit in a binary role as performer and patient simultaneously, so the emotion and power in performing can be overwhelming at times, but doesn’t detract from the larger main mission of giving back and speaking through music.
I think a large portion of why music is healing is because of the way our body receives sounds, rather consonant or dissonant. This goes back to ancient times, in which humans were moved to all types of emotions by music. Furthermore, music can then uplift one into good health and happiness, because of its nature (at times) to carry this quality of joy, brilliance, and liberty.
I believe my desire to want to play certain works and to feel the cello in my hands again, made a huge contribution to my healing, especially for how rapid I progressed.
You are also active in the New York City and Atlanta metro area giving concerts in venues such as the Hetrick-Martin Institute for LGBTQ Homeless Youth, Publicolor, and various churches and elementary schools. What do these concerts mean to you and what is the impact of your music?
I see the biggest benefit of these performances in an educational way. When children hear or see a cello for the first time, or a trumpet, flute, marimba, etc. they are filled with a magical experience. I find their curiosity and interest to be highly inspiring, because I can elicit this response from any age group and offer a memorable experience in a single afternoon or evening.
Perhaps the most effective point in bringing my music to these venues (and even hospitals as above) is the extreme proximity and intimate space I can be in with a group of people. Often times, concert halls create a barrier in that the performer isn’t tangible, and are almost unattainable because of their distance.
In a small classroom or school auditorium, children or young adults see me with my cello and how I look, perform, execute, etc. all of these different tasks at once. They are moved to questions about my development, age, thought process, memory, you name it! I hope to be able to inspire an individual each time I perform for a venue as such, and I also think opportunities as this give artists a wonderful time to be able to champion the role of arts in education and why we perform as musicians.
I’ve been often mesmerized at how many people have wanted to turn to me for advice on how they can follow a similar journey, or at least take up a career in music professionally! These experiences also allow people to become even more musically literate, if they haven’t been exposed to classical music or even various instruments and their ranges, shape, setup, etc.
What are your favorite cello works that grab the attention of classical music lovers as well as first time listeners?
I love performing solo Bach cello suites when giving performances because of their extreme versatility to any type of audience. I think the power of a solo cello playing polyphonically makes for a large statement and creates awe and excitement for many listeners.
Because of the solo quality, one often can hear more of what I am doing than in a large orchestral-force concerto, and because of this, I often find one more personally connected to a work such as a Bach Suite. I also love virtuoso pieces, such as Paganini-Silva Caprices, Piatti Caprices, de Falla Primera Danza Espanola, Popper Elfentanz, you name it! These give versatility in that they can show off the capability and range of the cello, while still remaining memorable enough to an audience member.
I usually like to counter these works with a lyrical, slower work- such as Saint-Saens The Swan, Massenet ‘Meditation from Thaïs’, or Rachmaninoff Vocalise. Ideally, a piece that exploits both the brilliant, radiant qualities with the lyrical material is best—such as the Chopin Polonaise Brillante or Schumann Adagio and Allegro.
Yet still, the works that employ extended techniques are also very popular with audiences, as they show the ways in which composers reach beyond the limitations of playing conventionally. This might be seen in a work such as John Cage’s 59 ½ Seconds for String Player.
You were the soloist with American Composers Orchestra for their world premiere of Carman Moore’s "Madiba". What are your impressions of this particular work?
Carman Moore’s MADIBA is an extremely fine and moving work. I am so humbled and honored to have been asked to premiere this work with the American Composers Orchestra, and the process and work with Carman Moore, conductor George Manahan, and the orchestra was unforgettable. What I find most captivating is Mr. Moore’s ability to capture an entire life of an incredible man, into one piece of music! The cello represents here the voice of Mandela, and the orchestra the people of South Africa, surrounding and enveloping him. From Mandela’s boxing days, to his dark prison years, to the ruling and expansive leadership he conducted, it was all there interwoven in a work that was compact but intricate. I felt I was traveling through time while playing the piece.
I should mention that because of this, I often found a kind of programmatic quality to the piece, much like that of Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo and Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote for cello and orchestra. This was largely due to MADIBA casting of the cello in a vocal way—for example, the opening section of the piece is called ‘Birth’, and the cello opens with a gesture of a yelp that a baby emits at birth, in this case Mandela’s birth.
I came to know Mandela through this work—the humility, grace, extreme courage, leadership, fire, and passion with which he lived his life. In many ways, he embodies what, not only myself, but other artists strive to exhibit in playing an instrument and delivering artistry. I learned a great deal about this type of performance experience, and being in the center of it all in this programmatic way. The whole experience for me was a transformative one.
What is your calendar looking like for the summer and fall?
I am currently looking forward to performances in a concert series at Highlands, North Carolina, as part of the Highland-Cashiers Music Festival. I will be joined by colleagues at Juilliard, along with alumnus and renowned pianist William Ransom.
I am also looking forward to a concert I am performing with colleagues this fall, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in honor and celebration of composer Arvo Pärt’s 80th Birthday. I have always been an admirer of Mr. Pärt’s music, from his vocal works, orchestral, and solo works. One of my favorite pieces to perform, in fact, is his Fratres (written in various instrumental versions by the composer), in which I did two separate performances this past year—the first, in a recital with a cello choir of eight cellists, and the second, as part of a collaboration with six dancers, choreographed by a very good friend of mine.
I am also looking forward to a doctoral recital in the fall at school, and other works throughout the NYC area and elsewhere!
I see the biggest benefit of these performances in an educational way. When children hear or see a cello for the first time, or a trumpet, flute, marimba, etc. they are filled with a magical experience. I find their curiosity and interest to be highly inspiring, because I can elicit this response from any age group and offer a memorable experience in a single afternoon or evening.
Perhaps the most effective point in bringing my music to these venues (and even hospitals as above) is the extreme proximity and intimate space I can be in with a group of people. Often times, concert halls create a barrier in that the performer isn’t tangible, and are almost unattainable because of their distance.
In a small classroom or school auditorium, children or young adults see me with my cello and how I look, perform, execute, etc. all of these different tasks at once. They are moved to questions about my development, age, thought process, memory, you name it! I hope to be able to inspire an individual each time I perform for a venue as such, and I also think opportunities as this give artists a wonderful time to be able to champion the role of arts in education and why we perform as musicians.
I’ve been often mesmerized at how many people have wanted to turn to me for advice on how they can follow a similar journey, or at least take up a career in music professionally! These experiences also allow people to become even more musically literate, if they haven’t been exposed to classical music or even various instruments and their ranges, shape, setup, etc.
What are your favorite cello works that grab the attention of classical music lovers as well as first time listeners?
I love performing solo Bach cello suites when giving performances because of their extreme versatility to any type of audience. I think the power of a solo cello playing polyphonically makes for a large statement and creates awe and excitement for many listeners.
Because of the solo quality, one often can hear more of what I am doing than in a large orchestral-force concerto, and because of this, I often find one more personally connected to a work such as a Bach Suite. I also love virtuoso pieces, such as Paganini-Silva Caprices, Piatti Caprices, de Falla Primera Danza Espanola, Popper Elfentanz, you name it! These give versatility in that they can show off the capability and range of the cello, while still remaining memorable enough to an audience member.
I usually like to counter these works with a lyrical, slower work- such as Saint-Saens The Swan, Massenet ‘Meditation from Thaïs’, or Rachmaninoff Vocalise. Ideally, a piece that exploits both the brilliant, radiant qualities with the lyrical material is best—such as the Chopin Polonaise Brillante or Schumann Adagio and Allegro.
Yet still, the works that employ extended techniques are also very popular with audiences, as they show the ways in which composers reach beyond the limitations of playing conventionally. This might be seen in a work such as John Cage’s 59 ½ Seconds for String Player.
You were the soloist with American Composers Orchestra for their world premiere of Carman Moore’s "Madiba". What are your impressions of this particular work?
Carman Moore’s MADIBA is an extremely fine and moving work. I am so humbled and honored to have been asked to premiere this work with the American Composers Orchestra, and the process and work with Carman Moore, conductor George Manahan, and the orchestra was unforgettable. What I find most captivating is Mr. Moore’s ability to capture an entire life of an incredible man, into one piece of music! The cello represents here the voice of Mandela, and the orchestra the people of South Africa, surrounding and enveloping him. From Mandela’s boxing days, to his dark prison years, to the ruling and expansive leadership he conducted, it was all there interwoven in a work that was compact but intricate. I felt I was traveling through time while playing the piece.
I should mention that because of this, I often found a kind of programmatic quality to the piece, much like that of Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo and Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote for cello and orchestra. This was largely due to MADIBA casting of the cello in a vocal way—for example, the opening section of the piece is called ‘Birth’, and the cello opens with a gesture of a yelp that a baby emits at birth, in this case Mandela’s birth.
I came to know Mandela through this work—the humility, grace, extreme courage, leadership, fire, and passion with which he lived his life. In many ways, he embodies what, not only myself, but other artists strive to exhibit in playing an instrument and delivering artistry. I learned a great deal about this type of performance experience, and being in the center of it all in this programmatic way. The whole experience for me was a transformative one.
What is your calendar looking like for the summer and fall?
I am currently looking forward to performances in a concert series at Highlands, North Carolina, as part of the Highland-Cashiers Music Festival. I will be joined by colleagues at Juilliard, along with alumnus and renowned pianist William Ransom.
I am also looking forward to a concert I am performing with colleagues this fall, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in honor and celebration of composer Arvo Pärt’s 80th Birthday. I have always been an admirer of Mr. Pärt’s music, from his vocal works, orchestral, and solo works. One of my favorite pieces to perform, in fact, is his Fratres (written in various instrumental versions by the composer), in which I did two separate performances this past year—the first, in a recital with a cello choir of eight cellists, and the second, as part of a collaboration with six dancers, choreographed by a very good friend of mine.
I am also looking forward to a doctoral recital in the fall at school, and other works throughout the NYC area and elsewhere!
