| | 
| | | A multitasking maestro | | August 21, 2009 | | | | Voice Correspondent | | The living room of Thea Kano’s Capitol Hill home is a dramatic span of starkly painted beams and exposed ductwork, dominated by a glossy black grand piano. Kano is assistant music director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC, conductor of the Capitol Hill Youth Chorus and a former associate conductor of The Washington Chorus.
The maestro’s striking space is a perfect reflection of her persona, a dramatic life with music at its heart.
Tall and physically arresting, a contrasting study of long blond hair and signature-black clothing, Kano projects a personality that impresses, whether in quiet conversation at home or conducting a grand orchestral work from the podium.
A native Californian, Kano came east in 2004, settling first in Dupont Circle and moving to the Hill a few years later. Why Washington? “I had finished my doctorate and visualized myself as director of choral activity somewhere. I heard The Washington Chorus was looking for an assistant conductor, so I sent in my resume, we had an interview over the phone, and they flew me out here,” she recalls.
Flush with a successful interview, Kano was intrigued with D.C.’s rich choral culture, but she knew she couldn’t make a move based only on the part-time gig. Then a friend within the music community told her of an opening with the Washington Gay Men’s Chorus. In the space of a week, both positions were hers.
“So many people have said, ‘What is a native Californian doing choosing Washington?’ Actually, Washington kind of chose me,” she says.
For most rising maestros, two jobs would be enough, but Kano expanded her mark on the local music scene just months after arriving. “The summer I got here, I heard the Capitol Hill Youth Chorus was looking for a director, and I looked at my week and my hours and I thought that would balance it all out.”
Three jobs became four in 2005, when Kano founded the New York City Master Chorale, a 60-person nonprofit chorus. These days, she divides her time between D.C. and New York, maintaining an apartment in Manhattan.
Kano’s versatility behind the podium is reflected both in the diversity of her charges — who range from unschooled tots to trained professionals — as well as the breadth of their repertoire. The Gay Men’s Chorus takes a lighter approach, performing a mix that includes popular music and show tunes, frequently enlivened by costumes. Working with the Capitol Hill Youth Chorus keeps Kano busy bringing music into young lives. And The Washington Chorus’ symphonic approach allowed her to indulge in the drama of full orchestral arrangements, ranging from Beethoven and Mozart to lesser-known composers. Kano expresses a special fondness for the works of French composer Maurice Duruflé, as well as contemporary American composer Morten Lauridsen.
In her rare still moments, Kano revels in the Hill’s reserved nature; her home is clearly a refuge. She ruefully admits that her schedule doesn’t encourage much in the way of nightlife. “There are no nights left on the calendar,” she says, laughing. Still, she loves getting out and enjoying the Hill’s tightly knit sense of itself. “When I go to Eastern Market today, I will see people I know, kids I know and parents that I know. You feel part of the community.”
With so many commitments, one might think that Kano is spread thin, but she thrives on the sometimes-frantic pace. “To have an arm in all the different types of choral music, I really hit it off lucky,” she says. “My heart doesn’t belong to just one of them, but all of them.” | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
| |
|
| | | |
|
