Phone Interview Transcript – Friday, February 17, 2017

Jack Pott (JP)

Marques Ruff (MR)

JP: So, I am here talking over the phone, one continent to another, with Marques Ruff. Just for the record, please state your full name, age, and current occupation?

MR: Marques Jerrell Ruff, 30 years old, and musician.

JP: Wonderful. So, starting with a small circle of your life, where did you grow up?

MR: I grew up in East Hartford, CT. We moved there when I was in 4th grade.

JP: Ok. What is your earliest musical memory?

MR: That’s a great question. The earliest musical memory that I can recall is being in 5th or 6th grade, and I had a music teacher at Hockanum Elementary School in East Hartford named Mrs. Godfrey, and she played a recording of “Think of Me”, from Phantom of the Opera, the original Broadway cast, followed by a recording of “Prima Donna.” When I heard “Prima Donna”, I was over-the-moon exhilarated by those high notes. They were glorious!

JP: That’s great. Is your family musical?

MR: Yes, and no. My grandmother, who passed away when I was four years old, I was told, was a very good singer. She sang in a choir, she was a soprano, she had solos. Then it (singing talent) kind of hopped around a few people. My aunt Toni actually is a fantastic singer. I also have a cousin, McKenzie, who is also a great singer, then me. Neither of my parents are very musical, although, my father, who probably wouldn’t like that I’m going to say this, my father can sing, and I don’t think he knows that I know he can sing, and I think he’s a high tenor at that.

JP: There may be some duets that need to happen there!

MR: (laughs) Possibly.

JP: What was the first song you learned as a solo?

MR: It was a song I learned growing up in the church, the , Latter Rain Christian Fellowship, formerly Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ, under Pastors Hubert & Jacqueline Powell. I sang in the Children for Christ Choir, also known as the CFC choir. My first solo, that I can recall, was a song called “Thank you, Lord.” The words were, “Thank you, Lord, for saving me. Thank you, Lord, for keeping me. I love you, Lord above. You hear my call. We praise you, we thank you, Lord.” I can remember enjoying that solo, but also being terrified whenever we had to sing it on any given Sunday. JP: What sort of influence has your family had on your current career as a musician?

MR: Great question. My family has always encouraged me to dream. I can recall being in 7th grade, and my mother had these plaques made. These decorative plaques that had these various sayings. One of them she hung over the head of my bed because she wanted me to always look at it when I woke up in the morning, and see it before I went to sleep at night. It said, “Shoot for the moon, and if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” And so, my family, while they maybe haven’t always understood when I sing in other languages, they have always encouraged me to just shoot for the moon, and just absolutely go for it.

JP: Who are the teachers who influenced you the most k-12?

MR: Ah, yes. Well, that’s an easy one for me. As I mentioned before, Mrs. Godfrey, my elementary school music teacher. Then, I would follow that up with Nancy Kirchmyer, who was my middle school music teacher, and really got me on the track, and also had me singing tenor, I might add. That was a feeder program into East Hartford High School, where I met Jereme Martineau, who completely changed everything for me, and really opened my eyes to the talent that I possessed, and truly got me on the path.

JP: What about College?

MR: Well, you can’t mention Central Connecticut State University without mentioning Dr. Pam Perry. She is a mentor. She has become a friend. She is a fantastic educator, and was my advisor through college, and gave me the scholarship that I went to school on, which was through University Singers. She really opened my eyes, not only to musicianship, but also to the world of travel. It was because of her that I travelled internationally for the first time (France & China). I credit her with helping me to hone the gift, and focus my energies forward. Then, of course, I can’t forget my voice teachers, two actually: Joanne Scattergood absolutely saved my voice. She got me free, and got the voice moving. There height in the high notes, there was depth in the low notes, and consistency throughout the registers, and I credit that to her, and the technique she taught me. Then, Jolie Rocke Brown, who was, and still is my mentor. I met her when I was 15, and she has been with me throughout my entire career, just guiding me, being a sounding board, and vocal coach, voice teacher, you name it, she is it for me.

JP: What are your fondest musical memories from high school?

MR: My fondest musical memories from high school? One of them would have to be show choir. Yes, I was in show choir all four years of high school, actually. My sophomore, junior, and senior year, Jazzappella, the show choir, won the championship at the Nutmeg Show Choir Festival in Windsor Locks. My sophomore year, we knew it was coming because we worked hard. My junior year we did the same. My senior year, we wondered if we could do it again. The program we did was different, and out of the box. But, we won, and it was just remarkable, so we called that “The Dynasty.” That’s the one that sticks out the most. There were others that were great, but that will always be my fondest memory.

JP: Is there one from college as well? MR: I think, actually, in college they all kind of run together. But, I will say this: the various experiences that I had all have significance, but the one that solidified that I not only wanted to teach, but to perform, was being at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lakes, MI. I was 19, so that was the summer of 2005, and it was the first time being around other singers who were also a part of music programs, who understood the struggles of music theory, and orchestration, and this and that. It opened my eyes to finally see that, “wait a minute, there are other talented people out there.” I don’t want that to come out the wrong way. (laughs) I knew that there were other talented people than me, but never had I been in such a high concentration of talent in one area. I mean, everybody was a superstar. So, being around those people, I actually felt “less than”, but it was good because it challenged me to get to their level of musicianship, to their level of performance, to learn my five arias, and such It really motivated me, and shifted things around a bit.

JP: So, you’ve alluded to this a little bit in one of your other answers, but, thinking back to when you were in high school, what did you want to be when you grew up?

MR: Mmm, that’s a good question! Well, it shifted in high school when I started singing because, honestly, growing up, I always thought that I was going to become a lawyer, and then become the first black president. Well, clearly, someone beat me to that, (laughs) and I’m grateful for that. But, once I found the voice, I remember Jereme Martineau telling me that my voice could take me anywhere that I wanted to go. It could take me anywhere. Once I realized that, it kind of shifted. I didn’t really intend to do music. I honestly thought that I would just sing in choirs, and what not, and I was going to do broadcast journalism, because I liked the idea of being an anchor, and of course, using my voice. So, yeah, I thought I was going to be a broadcast journalist.

JP: Wonderful! Were there any particular recordings that had an influence on you growing up?

MR: Yes! The first one that comes to mind was an album called “Finally Karen”, by my vocal aspirant, and gospel favorite, , who is a member of the illustrious Clark Sisters from , MI. Her debut album came out in 1997, and we had it on cassette. I listened to that album so much that I wore the cassette out, and we had to get another one. Every time we got in the car that’s all I wanted to listen to. I’m sure my parents were so tired of hearing that album! I emulated everything I heard. I just tried to recreate, recreate, recreate. Really, mimicry. Just trying to think, “How she was able to get the florid coloratura she sang with, her identification of key areas. Of course, at that time, I knew nothing about that, but her virtuosity was just jaw-dropping. So, that album, I wore that thing out. As a matter of fact, I have two copies of it now: I have a digital one on my iTunes, and I also have a cd.

JP: What other famous musicians have you learned from?

MR: Good question. Well, I actually have this thing called, my “Crown Jewels.” I kind of feel like I wear this “crown” where they all are influences. The first, of course, would be Leontyne Price. She is a phenomenal musician, and the time that she came up in, its inspiring to see what she was able to become, and the social circumstances she was rising in. Rene Fleming is also a favorite of mine. She is someone whom I’ve met multiple times, and I adore her. She is sweet, and she taught me a lot about artistry, the manipulation of the phrase, and legato line. Then, of course, Karen Clark Sheard, I have to mention her. Whitney Houston, who helped me to understand that it was ok to just sing. That I didn’t need to have a lot of “vocal affect”, but just let the beauty of the voice stand. And then the last one is, and I can’t not mention her, is Beyoncé. Her work ethic, and her ability to stick to something, and to see it through, she is just an inspiration to me. So those five make up my Crown Jewels, and have been my inspiration.

JP: So, how did your experience as a section leader at AHCC influence your life and career?

MR: Oh, it was so instrumental, so instrumental! I mean, when I look at my resume, if I took out my experience at Asylum Hill, I’d probably be a broadcaster right now. (laughs) Asylum Hill exposed me to so much, chief among them was major masterworks, and oratorios. The bulk of my experience has come from that. My first masterwork solo experience at Asylum Hill, I was 20 or 21, and we did the Bach “Magnificat”, and I was the bass soloist. I still have that recording, and love that recording. I worked hard to really bring that to life. From there, I was the soloist for the Haydn “Lord Nelson Mass”, the Mozart “Requiem”, the Brahms “Requiem”, and there are many others I can’t think of right now. But, being so young, and being put in a position of leadership like that really helped to mature me. It forced me to think outside of myself, and to engage with other people, and to do my best. I mean, I got the job when I was 18, so to do my best as a leader with people who were all older than me.

JP: Prior to joining Chanticleer, what is the one thing you are most proud of having been a part of?

MR: I would have to say Divisi, which is CCSU’s first all-male a cappella group that I founded in 2005. That group has grown exponentially. I am so happy that I was able to create something that was actually born out of a period in my life when I was really questioning my purpose, and whether I belonged at CCSU as a music major. Out of that came this group, which has become an institution, albeit small, that has changed the lives of so many men. Of course, simultaneously, when I was doing that, Acabellas was founded by my dear friend, Meghan LaPorta Sherry. To know that we had a hand in changing the very culture of CCSU is just something that I will be forever proud of.

JP: When did you know that you wanted to be a part of Chanticleer?

MR: I saw Chanticleer in 2002. They came to Hartford, at Immanuel Congregational Church. That was a particularly interesting period in my life. Actually, that day of the concert was the day of a wake of some acquaintances of mine from high school who had passed away in a car accident. It was my first time ever dealing with death so close, and with people so young. I went to the wake, and Jereme Martineau insisted that I still go to the concert. So, we went, and they sang “Song for Athene”, which is the Tavener piece that was also sung at Princess Diana’s funeral. To hear that in that acoustically splendid church, the tears fell, and I remember looking at Jereme and telling him, “I’m gonna be in this group one day.” So, that started it all. Since then, I have other full-circle moments based around Chanticleer, Hartford, and other pivotal moments in my life.

JP: Do you get nervous before a performance, and if so, how do you deal with it?

MR: Absolutely! I always tell myself that if I stop getting nervous, it’s time to do something different. Even though we do the same concert, probably anywhere from 100-120 times in a year, it is always a different crowd, it is always a different experience, and more importantly, it is always a different “voice.” The voice is still the same, but depending whether or not we flew that day, or drove that day, or did I get to sleep in. Depending on the external circumstances, the voice is different, and how I feel about the voice. Not matter how different the voice is, the quality has still got to be the same: just top-notch. So, I absolutely get nervous. What I try to do is center myself prior to the concert. I don’t eat before a concert because I actually like the feeling of the emptiness. It really engages me to the muscles I need to sing. And, every time before I walk on for a concert, before “break the leg”, every concert, I say, “God, please use me for your glory”, and I move me out of the way as much as possible, because I realize that I, along with my 11 other brothers, am a conduit for whatever it is that God needs to impart to somebody who’s in the audience that day. Maybe it’ll come from me singing a lead on a spiritual. Maybe it’ll come from the harmony and sonority of a beautiful piece in Swedish. Who knows. But, whatever avenue it comes down. I know that I am a conduit for it, and I have to get me out of the way so that God can do what he does. So, that does a good job of calming the nerves.

JP: In your current profession, how often and for how long do you practice?

MR: Well, the ensemble practices Monday through Friday from 10:30am-3:30pm, with an hour break in there for lunch. I usually then spend about 2 more hours that evening reinforcing what we worked on in rehearsal, or working on translations, deciphering the poetry of the piece, trying to really set the scene and the mood behind it because, as I said, there are 100-120 concerts, and each concert, I feel it necessary to be able to pull back another layer so that it remains fresh to me, and then its fresh to the audience. Once a program is mounted I warmup every day. I spend about an hour to an hour and a half with my voice every day whether or not I’m singing a concert or not, because, like any muscle, you have to keep it in shape. It tells a lot, and informs me so that when I am having an off-day vocally, I have some more tools at my disposal to use to overcome whatever the hindrance might be that day.

JP: How different is that type of practice schedule compared to what you were used to putting in to make something ready, or even what you were accustomed to doing, say, in college?

MR. Good question. I think it’s a little bit more well-intentioned practice, and well-focused. I recall from college, whether it was singing with Voce, or Concora, or with the Sanctuary Choir at Asylum Hill, you had a set number of pieces, you know, that you spent maybe 10 rehearsals on to put a concert on, and then you moved on, and you never saw those again. So, I never really felt that I ever got into the meaning of what a composer was intending, or why they chose this chord to use at this moment. That type of intentioned practice, I learned here with Chanticleer.

JP: So, despite all the practice, how do you handle mistakes in a performance?

MR: (laughs) Well, I prefer that they not happen. But, when they do I have remind myself that I’m human, because I such a perfectionist, and such a protector of this instrument. So, if you make a mistake, it is either a technique issue, or it’s a memory issue. Somewhere there was a hole, and my first objective is to find that hole. The second thing is to remain professional. I’ve had one really big mess-up with Chanticleer, and it happened my first year. We were in Westerly, RI, and I was singing this huge gospel solo that the group had not done in a while, that our previous music director, Joseph Jennings had done, called “Sit Down Servant, There’s Plenty Good Room.” My opening solo sequence starts on an “E” (sings), “Sit down servant..” Well, somewhere in my opening line I got thrown, (sings) and I changed the entire key. There was half of the ensemble who thought, “Ok we know where we’re supposed to go, so we’re going to go there”, and the other half who decided to follow me wherever I was. So, the chord that came out was something out of “Friede auf Erden” by Schoenberg (laughs). I mean, it was an unintelligible chord, and I thought to myself, “Oh my god, what do I do?” So, I’m still smiling, and I’m still poised, and so grateful. Well, our assistant music director, who also performs with the group, just stops the song in the middle of the concert. He just stops, asks for the pitch again, and we had to go again. I was mortified. But, I kept my poise because the audience didn’t need to know that. Quite truthfully, part of me was like, “I hope they think it was the ensemble”, even though I knew it was me. So, we restarted, and I sang that song for my life, let me tell you. I sang that thing so well, and was so mad at myself! Again, I knew that I had to “move Marques out of the way because this is not about you right now.” It took me a while to get over that, but I got there eventually.

JP: Prior to Chanticleer, you were a teacher. What did you learn from that, and would you see yourself going back to it?

MR: Teaching has always been a huge part of my life, and my professional life as well, including my goals. It is something that I am very passionate about because I was privileged to have passionate teachers in my life who were instrumental in helping who I am today. I learned about patience, and that people display their passions or their zest for music, or anything for that matter, in very different ways. If you are looking for it to come just one way, a standard default way from every student, you are going to miss some, and leave some by the wayside because not everybody expresses it with, you know, exuberance, and being an extrovert, loud, over-the-top like I was. Some people take it, and internalize it. They take it in, and express it inward. It’s an inward joy for them. So, working at Jumoke Academy (in Hartford), in particular with middle school, which is something I thought I would never do, but I’m so glad I did. It really taught me about patience, and how to extract that passion from various students.

JP: Changing subjects a little bit. So, jazz musicians will attend sessions where they learn / discover new musical things, either by listening or experimenting themselves. Can you think, is there any comparable scenario for a classical musician?

MR: Of the top of my head, I think, and what I’ve learned from has been a lot of organizations that are more geared toward education, but I believe they can be for performers as well. I think of ACDA conventions/conferences, of which I was a part of the honor choir one year, and have been a participant in other years. I think of MENC, which I think is now renamed to NAfME. I know Chanticleer has performed for them prior to my tenure beginning. I love those types of conferences, especially where various educators, and/or performers present on topics that they are passionate about. So, while it doesn’t have the informal environment of a jazz sessions, it is wonderful learning environment to go and hear other people discuss things that they themselves are passionate about. You can glean so much from the various workshops they have going on. So that’s been my way of professional development. Of course, I think the best professional development for classical singers is to be in the opera house with the greats who are doing it. To be in the opera house, to be in the recital house to hear these people do what they do, and to watch them. And, with the advent of YouTube, phew, how I love YouTube. Because you can go back and watch the greats, the people who we have been etched into classical music history. You can watch them! You can listen and watch interviews and hear them talk about how they did what they did, and I think that is some of the best resources that we have available to us right now.

JP: In your international travels, what is the one place that is now permanently on your travel list that is a place you want to return to?

MR: Great question. Well, my favorite city is Paris, so I can’t answer that question without mentioning that. But, more specifically, I would say Germany, which I’m in right now. It is a favorite of mine. The people here are beautiful, number one. The culture is rich. It is full of so many nuggets that you can latch on to. And, being an African-American classical artist who was reared in jazz & gospel, there are so many opportunities and “seats at the table” for me to come here, and carve out my own niche. Maybe that’ll happen post-Chanticleer, who knows. But, every time I’m here in Germany I feel at home, even though I don’t speak German, not much of it, at least. But, I feel at home here, and it always a favorite country of mine to be in.

JP: I know friendships ae important to you. What aspect of friendship do you value the most?

MR: That’s a great question! There’s a characteristic I can come up with, and that is: loyalty. I’m an only child, and so not having brothers and sisters, my friends have become my brothers and sisters. I am very blessed to have a very close group of people who are just loyal people. They’re honest and they’re real. They support me. They pray for me. They are happy with me, and they are sad with me. They are connected to me. I feel them, and they feel me. I’m grateful for that because it’s something that sustains me, particularly when I first joined this ensemble, and I was in California alone with no family, it was my friends and family who came out. So, the loyal aspect of having people who know everything about you, and who have your back, no matter what, that is what I value most about friendship.

JP: So, this won’t be the first time you’ve sung with Chanticleer here in Connecticut, but what is it that you are looking forward to the most about this particular concert?

MR: Well, true, Chanticleer has performed in CT before. My first year we were in New Britain. But this, this concert coming up is the homecoming. I mean, New Britain was full of my family and my friends/loved ones, and I am so grateful because South Church is a fantastic church, and I have many memories there from college. But, Asylum Hill is home. That is where I became a man, a musician. That is where I found my spirituality, and who God was to me. That’s where I became a disciple of Christ, and determined to carry him with me wherever I go, and thus allow him to carry me, and the places where I wasn’t sure to go. So, to be there with Chanticleer, it is something I am so looking forward to. To see so many familiar faces, and to be able to present/sing in the space that I have sung in so many times, but now in this new chapter of my life, I just cannot wait!

JP: So we talked earlier about what you wanted to be when you grew up. Looking at where you are now, where do you see yourself, or where would you like to see yourself in say, 10 years?

MR: Great question. I am happy where I am right now, but I’m always looking to grow. I’m always looking for the next opportunity wherein I can utilize the gifts God has given me. In addition to singing, I am very passionate about education. I am also passionate about acting and theater. So, I would love for the next chapter of my life to bring me to Broadway, or as close to it as possible. I would love to do musical theater and straight plays as well because that is something I feel very passionate about; the ability to create a character, and again, use my voice, but just in a different way. I would also like to go back to school at some point, because ultimately, one day, when all is said and done, I would love to have a position at a college or university where I direct a select ensemble, and have a voice studio, or perhaps teach song lit. Some place where I can give back ad share the wisdom and experience I’ve gained over, what I hope will be a rather illustrious career.

JP: Now to our final set of questions which are inspired by James Lipton’s “Inside the Actors Studio” interviews. It is ten questions that are meant to be answered briefly, as it were.

JP: What is your favorite word?

MR: Grace

JP: What is your least favorite word?

MR: Maybe

JP: What makes you happy?

MR: Being the best me that I can be.

JP: What makes you sad?

MR: Not doing what I said I would do.

JP: What sound or noise do you love?

MR: Either a soprano singing a high D6, or a soprano belting D5 and above, properly.

JP: What sound or noise do you hate?

MR: The dumpster at 5am outside my window.

JP: What is your “go-to” karaoke song?

MR: “I Want to Dance with Somebody”, by Whitney Houston, up a whole step.

JP: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

MR: I’d like to be a politician.

JP: What profession would you not like to attempt?

MR: Mortician

JP: What would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? MR: Well done. (laughs) Well done, my good and faithful servant.

JP: Well, that concludes our interview, Marques. Thank you very much!

MR: You are very welcome, this was a great interview! Thank you for all the well-prepared questions.