We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bruce & Jean Lemmon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Bruce & Jean thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When we left the early music ensemble we had co-founded three decades ago behind and moved to northern Colorado, we thought we’d likely never be part of such a unique group of musicians again. The risk we took was trusting that if we assembled instrumentalists and singers here in our new home, rehearsed over the course of months, and raised the sponsorship money it took to employ a featured artist and a couple of other professional musicians, people would come to hear music they’d never heard before. To paraphrase “Field of Dreams,” “we built it, and they came.”

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Playing recorders pulled us together. A Renaissance culture course at the beginning of college, immediate recruitment into the Renaissance music consort, on campus, and being featured as court musicians in the drama department’s production of “Twelfth Night,” all served to propel us into the world of early music. This was in the mid-70s, and in a very real sense performing repertoire that had seldom been heard before was quite avant-garde. Of course, a Renaissance consort provided the music for our wedding.

After eight years with that ensemble, we moved to the Midwest and found people with similar interest in this music. Our first professional gig was for a fundraiser for the local opera company. We thought it would be a one-off; instead, it launched a 30-year career of bring early music to curious ears throughout the region. Strange instruments, strange sounds, strange music — we really were opening folks up to a mind-expanding musical genre.

Today, we lead Pro Musica Terrae Amoris (“Loveland”) here in northern Colorado. No surprise that north of Denver/Boulder, this music is seldom heard. Our first concert featured music from the dawn of the Baroque; we are currently making early plans for our next concert, “A Renaissance Christmas.”

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

It may sound cliche, but in whatever endeavor you pursue, look for and follow a passion. Find a purpose. Believe in yourself. Figure out a way to make a difference, large or small.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

We love being able to educate audiences about the music we perform. Both of us had opportunities in our careers (i.e., our “day jobs”) to teach, and we never pass up an opportunity after a concert to talk about the instruments, texts or sonorities audiences have just heard.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProMusicaTulsae
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ProMusicaTulsae

Image Credits

Frank Leech