Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Leiser
Hi Jeffrey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been composing music since I was 15, so 25 years in total. For me, music has always been the short path to encounter with God via the indwelling Holy Spirit. I was encouraged by my family to practice this gift and it naturally led to writing scores for my brother Eric’s films. Eventually, I decided to pursue full-length concert music and from the fruit of this labor I’ve been blessed to celebrate both a symphony, ‘The Summit’, and an opera, ‘Freydís and Gudrid’.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve always worked outside of conservatories and institutions. This lonely path has at times made it more difficult to find platforms for my work, but it’s also enabled the creation of purely intuitive works. Rejection and the feeling of being passed over is a reality I’ve grown accustomed to both accept and cultivate in furtherance of personal resilience and vision.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve been able to harness my full breadth of skillsets gleaned from a lifetime of occupational experience and creative risk-taking. This culminated most recently in Freydís and Gudrid, a full-length opera that I wrote and composed for the stage and for the screen. It was a rewarding expedition of writing, composing, producing, editing, and sound-designing. I was also able to articulate my vision to Director of Photography Sam Krueger, having shot industrials for a few years as a video producer and photographer. The bedrock of this multidisciplinary approach is a result of my years working in mediums such as art theatre, video, and concerts. But the tenacity is a result of a decade in the service sector as I worked many so-called menial jobs (night nurse at a pet hospital, Walmart greeter, door-do-door salesman, telemarketer, construction, and janitor among others.)
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk is my reality. I’ve never been able to see past the mental mist of any undertaking worthwhile to me. I’ve invested my time, talent, finances, and personal health to birth these visions into form, cooperating and in conversation with the Holy Spirit. Adaptability is a well-developed muscle in the body of my working life. I’m thankful for the struggles that have taught me humility, teamwork, joy in the ordinary, and an empathy of mankind. Without those experiences, I’d never have persevered through those dark nights of the soul.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.albinofawn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freydis_and_gudrid
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@jeffleiser
Image Credits
Albino Fawn Productions (all images)