Today we’d like to introduce you to Leonard Hayes.
Hi Leonard, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
At the age of thirteen, prior to starting middle school, I began formal piano lessons although in elementary school I had taken choir, group piano, and one year of cello lessons. My grandmother played piano by ear, would play church hymns, and teach me informally. I was competent in music literacy prior to formal study; however, the formal lessons deepened and enhanced my music comprehension. During my sophomore year of high school, I decided to take piano more seriously by increasing my hours at the piano either before or after school, seeking performance opportunities, and entered music competitions. While I didn’t get to ‘enjoy’ the teenage years, the tenacity and disciplined influenced my work ethic in school and in life. As a result, I decided to apply for and accept the offer of admission to the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy, a boarding high school, on full scholarship during my senior year. At Interlochen, I was surrounded by peers who aggressively pursued music the way I did; and it heavily influenced my musical personality. After graduation, I decided to become a professional musician, needed to sharpen my pianism, so I matriculated into the Conservatory of Music at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Lawrence was the best school for my personal, musical, and academic development. Lawrence a private liberal arts college, attracted amazing scholars, entrepreneurs, and creative artists. The academic music courses strengthened my ability to organize thinking on music, and weekly piano lessons urged me to think creatively and become an efficient practitioner in piano. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree in performance, I decided to freelance, teach privately, and do music retail for a couple years. With a burning desire to focus on full-time piano study, I applied to and accepted the offer of admission to the Eastman School of Music in New York. At Eastman, I received international exposure to artists, composers, scholars, and arts leaders who are highly respected within the music field. As a lover of academic scholarship, I cherished spending days in Eastman’s Sibley Music Library, the largest collegiate music library in North America. Upon my Master’s graduation, I landed a teaching job at the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts (Dallas, TX), where I served as Head of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Music Conservatory. This position definitely strengthened my artistic and pedagogical profile; and prepared me to enroll as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Southern California, where I’m currently pursuing doctoral studies.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Good question! No, the road hasn’t always been smooth. Even now as a graduate student, some people might consider the doctoral life as “the road less traveled”, as it’s accompanied by a lifestyle met with financial frugality, long study days, and a somewhat dormant social life (although at this stage of my life I don’t lack in this department!) I grew up in the low-economic area of Dallas which was exposed to abandoned homes, increased visibility of homeless people, drug smuggling, crime and violence. Most times the safest place in the neighborhood was limited to the church, the elementary school, or the local community center. Beginning formal piano lessons seemed to be the safest way to escape the struggles around me; however, I soon realized I was disadvantaged because of my financial circumstance. And that if I wanted to pursue college music, that I would need to aggressively secure access to a high-quality piano, a credentialed private instructor, and learning material. Luckily, my first piano teacher (and his musical network), a black pianist, understood my situation and was able to prepare and position me for performances, competitions and eventually earn a spot to attend the Interlochen Arts Camp and Academy.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Currently, I’m a full-time doctoral student at the University of Southern California and I serve as a graduate teaching assistant in the Keyboard Studies Department (Classical Division). When not teaching or studying, I’m doing freelance work in L.A., and throughout the U.S. Recently, I made my debut as principal pianist with the L.A. Opera Orchestra for their West Coast Premier of Omar, a new historic opera about the life West African Scholar Omar Ibn Said. Also, in July, I made a concerto debut with the Inner-City Youth Orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall performing a Piano-Orchestra arrangement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. I am most proud of this accomplishment. As an artist-advocate of programming works by underrepresented composers, during 2022-2023, I will present concerts, lectures, and workshops on composers such as of Florence Price, George Walker, Margaret Bonds, Ellis Marsalis, Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson among others. Last Year, I traveled around the country presenting Florence Price’s Concerto in One Movement with orchestras in California, Massachusetts, and New York. As for film, I made my debut as a background actor in third season of “Truth Be Told”, an apple tv series with black actors such as Octavia Spencer, Mekhi Phifer, and Michael Beach. This experience definitely strengthened my relationship with the L.A. arts community and clarified why I appreciate L.A.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was very quiet in school, church, and home. Which I believe was in part to always wanting to listen to what older people had to say cause I felt myself or my friends wouldn’t have much to talk about other than the mundane school topics! I loved leisure reading, exploring the neighborhood or the city, being outside. As an adult, I still engage with these things when I have personal time.
Over the years, I’ve become quite the extrovert with a few introvert tendencies!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: hayeslo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonard.hayes.3386/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/hayeslo1/about
