Daily Inspiration: Meet Leona Cheung and Cara Bender

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leona Cheung and Cara Bender.

Leona and Cara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
We met in 2018 at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where we were in a repertoire class together and wound up partners for our first-class assignment. We instantly loved working together, and before we knew it, we were coming up with lists of repertoire to explore together. 

Later that year, we submit an application as a duo to the Leeds Lieder Festival, a renowned week-long program in England filled with performances and masterclasses with many of the top people in the art song world. We were delighted to be selected as one of ten duos internationally to attend and had the best time performing and learning from many of our musical idols. 

We finished our degrees in 2020, but luckily, that wasn’t the end of our collaboration. We have continued to perform together on various recitals and recordings, and we are so excited to currently be one of ten semi-finalist duos in the International Federation of the Art Song Fellowship Competition in New York City in 2023. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Musicians almost never see a simple or linear path to a career, and the pandemic hitting right before we finished school certainly didn’t make things easy. We had to adapt to so many changes. Gone were the days when we could just meet in a practice room at school or give a recital with to a packed audience without wearing masks. We had to get really comfortable with recording material, performing through a mask, and doing recitals over Zoom in an apartment with a keyboard. 

As classical performers, we feed off of the feeling of a concert hall and the response of an enthusiastic audience. Pouring our hearts out to a laptop camera while crossing our fingers for no technical difficulties (which, of course, we had from time to time) was a huge challenge. However, these challenges ultimately forced me to remember why we do what we do and how incredibly fortunate we were to get to share the healing power of music with people during a time filled with such uncertainty and loss. 

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?
As a soprano-piano duo, our specialization lies in the art song repertoire—a genre that serves as an intimate dialogue between the singer and the pianist. We are dedicated to bringing the depth and beauty of this genre to our audiences through our heartfelt performances. 

Our musical collaborations are distinguished by a profound emotional connection to the music, an unwavering commitment to meticulous attention to detail, and an ardent devotion to authentic expression. 

What fills us with the greatest sense of pride is our ability to effectively convey the profound emotions and stories within each piece. This connection allows our audiences to forge a deeply personal bond with the music we perform. We consider it our mission to maintain the highest standards of excellence in every performance, always aiming to create memorable and emotionally resonant experiences for our listeners. 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
As a duo, we would say that listening and trust are the most crucial components for our success. If we aren’t always listening to each other, the music falls apart. In rehearsal, we are constantly asking questions and listening to the unique insight we each bring to a piece to unlock the story that we want to tell. Listening to new ideas and trusting each other enough to explore them has led us to many of our best musical moments. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.leonacheung.com