Mezzo-soprano Daniela Lehner has just received one of the classical music world's greatest accolades - an Award from the renowned Borletti-Buitoni Trust, given to performers of great quality and musicianship. At the same time, she has made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Hermia in Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". She has also recently become a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. Still, she says one of her greatest accomplishments is the work she does through Live Music Now.
Interestingly, she first heard about LMN from the great man himself, Yehudi Menuhin and now performs concerts and workshops across the country, accompanied by gifted pianist Jose Luis Gayo.
What training have you received from LMN?
The support has been second to none. For instance: I have received specialist training sessions with LMN and the Royal National Institute for the Blind on how best to work with the visually-impaired. When I first started, two years ago, I had a mentor at events and LMN people would attend sessions and give valuable feedback.
Tell us about your first workshop
Well this certainly gave me a taste and an enthusiasm for things to come! I was in at the deep end at an inter-generational project in Tower Hamlets, involving traditional white East-enders in their 70's and young children from mainly Bangladeshi backgrounds. We decided to bring them together via the opera Carmen. One young boy, originally from Columbia, even came dressed as a bullfighter the following week and brought his Mum and his little sister along.
What are your most memorable experiences?
There are so many - once in Wales we amazed staff at an old people's home by reaching a man with severe dementia. They had not seen any reaction from him for some time. It turned out that his wife was a soloist for the Welsh National Opera, I sang from Carmen and he lifted his head and the tears started to flow.
The violinist Maxim Vengerov, who supports LMN, also came to one of my workshops. I performed a Russian song especially for him and he was very moved.
What do you enjoy most about outreach work?
Ten concerts in five days, carrying a heavy keyboard around and driving to remote places in the middle of nowhere makes you quite tough. I don't get exhausted very easily any more - you learn to think on your feet and are challenged all the time. People keep asking me if I will sing at their funeral - I just say: "try to stay alive please!"
You meet extraordinary people and see worlds that are very different from yours. People don't care about how you look or what your pedigree is - if you can touch the people that is wonderful and nobody judges you on whether you have played at Carnegie Hall or not. It is not easy, people get distracted, they talk and they wander around. In fact my debut at the Wigmore Hall wasn't daunting as I didn't have to deal with people fainting or shouting.
How does music benefit people?
I have always been aware that music brightens people's lives and can reach them in their darkest hours. At one LMN event an older woman told me that the concert was the most enjoyable time she had experienced in fifteen years at her care home.
Music definitely gets through the fog of dementia and a real benefit of this is the way it can change the outlook of carers, who realise that there is something still there in the minds of the people suffering and that they can still communicate in some way.
What's next for Daniela?
Jose Luis and I will be recording for the BBC in the New Generation Artists scheme. I am also delighted to say that the acclaimed pianist Mitsuko Uchida has expressed an interest to work with me.
I am still on the LMN scheme and I hope I will always be involved with the organisation, no matter how my career goes. Finally, I would like to thank the LMN staff. They are the most wonderful, dedicated people.
March 2008