6 Questions with John Kelly
Where did you grow up?
New Jersey. God bless the Path train.
What made you realize that music was your path?
Music has been a significant aspect of my path - initially through my training as a dancer, and eventually as the backbone of my dance theatre works.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Maria Callas, Gustav Mahler, Ludwig van Beethoven.
Has there been one particular moment in your musical career that you're most proud of?
Specific to music here are 3 - my collaboration as lyricist and vocalist with David Del Tredidi on the song cycle ‘Brother’; my role as the Dog/Man in David Little’s chamber opera ‘Dog Days’; and my theatrical embodiment of the work of the Canadian singer and songwriter Joni Mitchell.
What made you want to perform on the Room to Breathe series?
Blythe Gaissert, with whom I performed in Mikael Karlsson’s ‘The Echo Drift’.
What’s the next thing for you?
I’m in the process of completing my first graphic novel, based on my experience of a near catastrophic trapeze accident in 2004.