Grace Kelly Captivates Audience with Performance

By: Anvi Bhate, Anna Kim, Minseo Kim, Andrew Yuan

Students, faculty, and townspeople pack red seats. Lights dim to give rise to the Bowld’s windowed evening-blue backdrop, and the audience claps and cheers as spotlights land on the band to welcome saxophonist Grace Kelly onto the stage.

Kelly, a modern jazz icon, began playing the saxophone as a young kid and recorded her first professional song at age 12. Over the years, she has gone to over 30 countries and performed over 900 times—and recently began posting music on her Instagram account, which has since been verified and has over 100,000 followers. On October 5, Academy community members had the honor of listening to the saxophonist, singer, and songwriter play several of her favorite classic songs, as well as some of her own music. Kelly’s band consisted of drummer Ross Pederson, keyboardist and jazz pianist Utar Artun, and bassist Julia Adamy. Moreover, Exeter’s very own jazz band had the opportunity to have a focused masterclass with Kelly, where she shared tips that helped her as an aspiring musician.

Kelly shared what music means to her. “Music has always been a very special thing in my life because of its spiritual connection. It's one of those things that from a very young age, I felt it wasn't just like notes that I was hearing or singing or was playing. It was a type of therapy for me, and I realized that writing music is not only healing for myself, but for the people that I play it for,” she said. 

Drummer Ross Pederson said, “Do what makes you feel like you come alive. And on that note, listen. Listen to and transcribe and absorb as much music as you possibly can,” he said.  “Internalize it. Make it a part of the fabric of your being. And then make it your own.”

During the performance, Kelly and her band performed a series of songs, with spotlight moments for each performer, er. “Jazz music is based upon playing as a team. You know, I could be out there playing my soul out, but if my band is not, it’s not supporting me. When I'm performing in my band, there's such beautiful trust and love for each other as people,” Kelly said.

“My drummer's been touring and playing with me for over eight years and we've been through so much together. Of course playing music, but, you know, 5:00 AM lobby calls, challenging times during the tour and really joyous times… And so there's a lot of love that's on stage.”

“Grace is one of my favorite people to work with! She’s so gracious, kind, humble, and funny—always creating a positive and open space to work in,” Pederson said. “She’s also very welcoming of the different musical personalities of the people, not something that you always see as a sideman.”

Kelly also provided advice to young musicians who enjoyed making music together. “There's a lot of love that's on the stage. If students can keep that in mind, when they're playing with each other and actually going to that vulnerable place with each other, [it] will help create better music, [and] that is the reason to just try it out and experiment with it,” she said. “I promise that the depth of the personal connection will make a really big difference. Not only in the music, but in enjoying the act of making music.”

Pederson agreed. “Simply put, music is life! It is a part of the lives of people around the world—movie/tv/game scores, cultural celebrations, gatherings, dances, rituals… all include music. It is such a beautiful means of communication that transcends many boundaries,” he said.

Kelly continued to speak on how the audience becomes part of a musical show. “Performing music is about connecting with my audience. There’s few things that can allow you to have such a special connection with a complete stranger. Music’s one of those things, where at the beginning of a show, I'm meeting complete strangers and by the end we're all dancing and singing and having a great time,” she said. “That to me is the power of what music can do to bring a community together.”

Kelly also shared her experience holding a master class for jazz ensemble. “I love being able to offer up pieces of musical thoughts or advice, and then the students try it out in real time… My favorite part is watching students have that realization in the moment of, ‘oh my God, that did sound better.’ Hopefully from that point on, they’ll really be able to dive deeper. Even just knowing that you can get there is really powerful.”

Kelly then pointed out a memorable moment during the master class. “We had that exercise with the drum and bass player. I was like, ‘I need you guys to look at each other and maybe smile, right.’ That connection, the emotional connection of ‘we are on the same team,’ strengthens the music 150%. And I think the guys felt that in that moment and certainly everyone watching did too.”

During the performance, Kelly announced to the audience that she would be changing up the music program, speaking on the flexibility of her music show. “For live shows, I have a set list and an idea of what songs we're gonna play, but every show is always so different depending on the spontaneous vibe that I'm getting from the audience. Just from that intuitive moment of either feeling like, oh my God, the crowd is just, they are ready to rock and roll. At that moment, I might suddenly say to my band, like, let's keep it up tempo. Or I might feel like this is a perfect moment to pause and play more of an introspective song, like ‘By The Grave.’”

She drew together an analogy of running a show to being a party host. “I think about a live performance very similarly to when you're hosting a party… It’s your job to curate the vibe and make sure everyone feels welcome. And that's going to change depending on who's at your party.”

When asked about where she finds inspiration for her songs, Kelly spoke about her deep love for composing and putting her interaction with the world around her into words. “I'm inspired by a whole range of things. Sometimes I write songs about people, like a song about falling in love or first meeting my boyfriend. And sometimes I'm writing a song about a stranger or an experience I just had.” 

Kelly also spoke about the jazz musicians who inspired her throughout her life. “Growing up, my saxophone inspiration was a gentleman named Stan Getz. He’s long gone now, but his sound was beautiful… Terry Lyne Carrington [was also] a real inspiration to me in her musicianship and the community she’s building, and being an advocate for women in music. I’ve had the fortune to perform with and record in her band, and she’s also played and recorded in mine. She’s pretty amazing.”

Kelly went on to tell a story about the origin of one of her most emotional composing ideas. “I once had the experience of performing in San Quentin prison for a bunch of the inmates who were there, and I had no idea what to expect or who I'd meet,” she recalled. “And I was so overwhelmed with the stories that I was hearing from those men about why they were there, how they missed their family, and how they just want to be with their loved ones.”

“I was so overwhelmed with emotion that when I came home, the only way that I knew how to express it was to write a full song,” Kelly continued. “Sometimes I'm simply inspired if I'm looking out to a beautiful ocean or if I'm in a rainforest. There's a lot of visual aspects that are inspiring to me.”

Kelly shared some of her past personal experiences as a saxophonist and as a person of color. “When I was growing up playing jazz, I would hardly ever see any women in the industry playing this instrument. It's really important to have role models. And to know that the lane's wide open for you to be able to do whatever you want to do...I think we're headed in a much better direction as far as having more diverse artists.” 

Kelly continued. “I have young girls that come up to me and say, ‘I've been watching you and I play saxophone. I can't thank you enough for being a role model.’ That makes me really happy because we have a lot of work to do towards becoming more diverse and having more women playing saxophone and in the jazz industry.”

After the performance, upper Priya Nwakanma shared her thoughts about jazz. “Community reclaims jazz because it started as such a unique expression of, specifically African American culture,” Nwakanma said. “I feel like a lot of people see it these days as this sort of watered-down elevator music, like ‘white man music enthusiast genre,’ and it's not, which you can see so clearly with Grace Kelly… The passion with which they played the music was very much a way of hearing jazz that doesn't line up with a lot of people's modern interpretations.”

Upper Alexa Wingate spontaneously signed up for the concert. “I think it's very easy at Exeter to get stuck doing the same things, just trying to survive your classes and get through your day,” Wingate added. “I try to attend the performances on campus because they are so special to this school and they make my day a little better.”

Upper Grace Nivera loved the concert. “The concert was so, so, so fun! Grace had really good energy, and she knew how to get the crowd pumped. You could clearly tell that she is doing what she loves and that she's happiest when she's performing.” 

Wingate agreed. “I hadn't listened to any saxophone music in a while, certainly not any that wasn't traditional jazz. Grace Kelly brought her unique spirit and enthusiasm to saxophone music, and I am happy that I decided to come.”

Lower Reilly Piersimoni also appreciated the event. “The concert was pretty tight. Kelly is super dynamic and a fantastic singer in her own right. Her band knows how to keep her upfront and on top while still finding ways to be expressive and let themselves shine through,” he said. “It was so great to finally have a packed Bowld after a year and a half of pandemic restrictions.”

Lower and jazz ensemble member Achyuta Rajaram appreciated Kelly’s musicality. “Between the musicality and emotion on display the event was an incredible experience,” he recalled. “As a jazz musician, I loved the saxophone. Combined with the drums and all the instruments the sound emanating from the Bowld was fantastic.”

Upper Hannah Rubin also enjoyed the show. “There was an honest aspect of it too; I liked how Grace Kelly, in between songs, took a few moments to reference her own life and how it related to the pieces she was performing.” 

“As someone who tends to get nervous before performances, I really admire Grace Kelly's ability to stride onto the stage as if the Bowld was made for her!” Rubin continued. “And the fact that she's dancing while playing saxophone!! That must take so much hard work and years of practicing.” 

Rubin’s favorite song was “By the Grave.” “The tension was palpable within the deep vibrations of the drums, and the sonorous quavering of the saxophone. It was almost like a wave of emotion, which struck me as very powerful,” she said.

Nwakanma also spoke about how memorable “By the Grave” was to her. “I was almost crying in the audience, there was this part where her saxophone was wailing, and the drummer had gone so hard that he drummed off one of the symbols. It was like being privy to the process of grief. It was very beautiful,” she said.

  “It was really exciting to see an Asian woman like myself performing jazz; it's something I've never seen before,” Nivera said. “She definitely inspired me to keep pursuing interests in music. I really hope to see more of Grace Kelly and other POC women musicians in the future!”

Kelly concluded with some advice to young musicians. “Continuing to have music in your life is a beautiful friend to have with you. It's a great way and safe place for you to be able to explore your own expression. Whatever that thing is that lights you up—it could be music, visual arts, sports—and whatever that thing is that makes you feel a little bit freer, feel like you can express yourself, is something that's very much worth holding onto,” she said. “So if that's music, I really just encourage everyone to just keep on at it and have a lot of fun with it.”