Today we’d like to introduce you to Maud Hixson
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I attended a Montessori grade school in Minneapolis called Lake Country School, and I remember singing on the playground where there was a natural echo in a corner created by the huge brick staircase going up to the entrance. I remember also my music teacher would play his guitar in the hallway as the students were picked up after school, and I told my parents to arrive as late as possible so I could sing with him. I was always obsessed with songs, but I didn’t have the confidence to pursue a career as a stage performer, so I studied French in college. It wasn’t until I was 30 and working as a French interpreter for Northwest Airlines that I finally started learning the stagecraft I needed to become a professional singer. I would sit in with various jazz ensembles around the Twin Cities and eventually began to get work. I honed my craft further with the opportunities provided by several Artist Initiative grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. The first one funded my attendance at the Cabaret Conference at Yale, where I met pianist Tex Arnold, longtime accompanist for singer Margaret Whiting. He introduced me to Broadway composer Mickey Leonard and my second grant allowed me to work with them creating my first show in New York, comprised of his songs. I later recorded an album of this music, “Don’t Let A Good Thing Get Away”, funded via Kickstarter. I was also invited to perform at the Mabel Mercer Convention in New York at the invitation of Mercer’s manager, Donald Smith. I’ve since returned twice at the invitation of Rex Reed in tribute to his friends, singers Sylvia Sims and Doris Day. In 2012 I met composer and pianist Sir Richard Rodney Bennett when he heard one of my recordings, and we performed together in New York in what turned out to be his last concert before his passing. Last year I won a New York Bistro Award for my album of his music, “Permanent Moonlight: Songs of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett”. Now I perform most often with my husband, pianist Rick Carlson and a variety of other musicians here and in other cities from London to Chicago.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Choosing a career singing the songs I love, which generally fall into the category known as the Great American Songbook has been a road less taken. I’ve had to cultivate a practice of finding ways to help potential audiences understand the charms of this music and to communicate that effectively. Performing well is the ultimate way of accomplishing this, and I’ve worked hard to acquire the skills I need that I wasn’t formally schooled in and to fill in the blanks as I continue to grow. Fortunately I have found wonderful mentors and teachers to learn from and pattern my life after as an artist. Now that I’ve given so much time and attention to building these strengths, the process has become far smoother when I have decisions to make about how to present myself and reach listeners. The music business has arrived at a state where the default expectation is that one’s work has little monetary value, as many distributors devolve into classifying and presenting it as “content”. The cumulative effect of years of investment in my practice has helped me preserve the value of my work when I present it in the marketplace.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I feel that a deep interest in great songs that are lyric-driven is what motivates my work. I like to present songs like they are people, with their own biography, and I share their reason for being and their historical context as part of their intrinsic interest. I’ve become known for specializing in songs that are often overlooked and perhaps dismissed in our current culture. One of the projects I’m most proud of is the album I was commissioned to record in 2016 with Rick Carlson by the Betsy-Tacy literary society in Mankato. Author Maud Hart Lovelace mentions over 200 songs in her series of books about growing up in the 1890s through WWI. We chose 20 (including a duet with Maria Jette) for “Listening For Your Song: A Musical Companion To The Betsy-Tacy Books By Maud Hart Lovelace”.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Learning how to perform in front of an audience has taught me why I had such a strong initial connection to music. Singing or listening to singing affords a simple direct experience of emotions, bypassing the usual intermediate things that have to happen. It’s very special work, and to do it well is as medicinal for me as it is for listeners, yet I never knew this was going to be the real reward for doing it. I’m glad I got over my stage fright and didn’t miss out on this practice that has become such an integral part of how I live my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maudhixson.com
- Other: https://maudhixson.bandcamp.com
