Interview: James Lent of SWEET CHARITY! at The JAXX Theater Hollywood

Based in Los Angeles, James Lent currently serves as the Head of Collaborative Piano and Vocal Coach at UCLA, where he is also the Program Manager of Staff Pianists. Additionally, he is Principal Music Faculty member at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Hollywood. His previous faculty appointments include the Music Academy of the West, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and the Napa Music Festival.

As a versatile performer, Dr. Lent frequently appears at prominent Southern California venues such as the Beverly Hills Hilton, House of Blues, LA Live, and the Ritz-Carlton. His extensive theater credits include performances in productions of Cabaret, Chicago, Chess, A Chorus Line, and Oklahoma. As a music director, his work spans productions such as Spamilton, Grease, West Side Story, and Rent. He is available as a soloist or can provide additional instrumental ensembles including strings, winds, brass, and percussion.

James has received numerous awards from prestigious competitions, including the New York Concert Artists Guild International, the National Chopin Competition, and the Washington International Piano Competition at the Kennedy Center. He was a fellowship recipient at the Aspen and Sarasota Music Festivals and studied with Jerome Lowenthal at the Music Academy of the West. Notable career highlights include his critically acclaimed debut with the Alabama Symphony performing Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 on 24 hours’ notice and performing with the Ensemble Intercontemporain under Pierre Boulez at Carnegie Hall. He has also appeared with the Vancouver Symphony, Houston Symphony, and Shanghai Philharmonic, and has given solo recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

James, In which city were you born in, and what is your zodiac sign?

I was born in Houston, Texas, where I attended the High School for the Performing Arts and I am an Aquarius.

What is your earliest memory of a live performance, and who was involved in that moment?

When I was a kid, I loved seeing live bands at Six Flags Astroworld in Houston- I remember seeing AIR SUPPLY, WHAM! and Huey Lewis AND THE NEWS, sometimes in pouring rain, and thinking how fun it would be to be in their bands!

How did your family initially react when you decided to pursue your artistic vision?

They always knew I had some natural talent from my great-grandmother who was an accomplished pianist, but I don’t think they expected me to apply that into all styles of music, and to carry those skills into mainstream popular and musical theatre music. I was always good in Math, and my parents really tried to get me to pursue that alongside music, but by Calculus II, music had really taken over!

Did you attend multiple colleges, or did you complete your studies at a single university?

I started with an Undergraduate degree in Music from the University of Houston, which enabled me to continue working an a thriving environment in all styles of music before starting graduate school at Yale where I completed a Masters and a Doctorate degree in Classical Piano. 

Where did you earn your first dollar as a professional musician?

I think I caught the musical theatre bug as a 12 year old in a community theatre program called Starmakers in Spring, TX where I became the music director for 5 dollars an hour, paid in cash, plus the ability to sell refreshments from the piano during rehearsals. I was already transposing songs for everyone in the shows before technology made it efficient! I was living the dream!

At what point did you realize you could sustain yourself professionally as a live musician?

My family took notice that I was already making impressive money by age 17 with party gigs, accompanying, and music directing. From there it just kept growing into so many other areas and I continued diversifying my skills in all areas and styles of music.

What is your opinion on the debate between using backing tracks versus live music? Do you work with tracks, or do you prefer hiring live musicians?

I always prefer live musicians, as long as they are great! I will occasionally work with tracks, particularly if the production schedule is very tight, the budget is tight, or if the production might suffer from the technical needs of live musicians, but the flexibility of live music for me is what makes musical theatre so special and magical.

What are the three primary concerns when producing a cabaret act or a one-night-only performance? How do you balance choosing songs you love versus songs the audience expects?

It is so important for a cabaret act that features a solo performer balance what an audience wants with the songs that are personal to the artist, and help tell their unique story. It is always a balancing act to combine audience expectations with novelty, individualism, unique arranging and the creation of medleys/mashups. It is also important for the singer to understand their true strengths and make sure the set shows them to the fullest without revealing too much weakness. I also often find myself convincing performers that you want your audience to come to the next one, so don’t feel the need to show them your entire repertoire in one night! 

Could you share a vocal technique you recommend to students or professionals, specifically for managing a raspy or tired voice during a show?

Andrew Byrne has been my vocal coach since the pandemic began, and he really turned me on to the positive effects on the vagus nerve when you vocalize slides while gargling. 90% of vocal difficulty or fatigue are caused by dry vocal folds, and a minute of gargling while doing slides is a triple whammy to the vocal cords, the nervous system, and the back of the tongue. It also helps with excess phlegm which we anll have from time to time. Every singer I show this to is shocked to not know about this!

Having performed at many venues in Los Angeles, are there any favorites you prefer or specific live performance stages you hope to play in the near future?

I love the Jaxx theatre for its intimacy and up close from any seat nature. I did many cabaret shows at Vitellos before the renovation and would love to return there. I had a blast at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City when I performed in Spamilton with Center Theatre Group. Disney Hall is always a magical place to perform, and I hope to be back there more!

SWEET CHARITY! is directed and choreographed by Jeremy Lucas starring KASEY HENTZ as optimistic Charity Hope featuring TOM SYS as Oscar Lindquist. 
In addition to providing both stellar Music Direction and Conducting for the upcoming run of SWEET CHARITY!  at the Jaxx Theater in Hollywood, James will be working on a premiere of a new musical at Jaxx in June, followed by the premiere of E=MC SQUARED, a musical about Einstein, at the Antaeus Theatre in Glendale this July.