From classical training to school of rock

Cellist Julia Kent learned a thing or two about discipline when she first arrived at the Jacobs School of Music. The stiff competition over the practice rooms galvanized her into waking up early, sometimes at 6:30 a.m.

“When I arrived, every room was occupied, and I thought, ‘Hmmm ... how early do you actually have to get up here?’” Kent said.

Although she hasn’t maintained her rigorous practice schedule since college, Kent has garnered both success and critical acclaim as a solo artist and collaborator, most notably as a consistent member of the band Antony and The Johnsons. Out of the array of musicians she has worked with, Kent said performing with Lou Reed was her favorite experience.

Although Antony and The Johnsons is most well-known for frontman Antony Hegarty’s haunting lyrics and distinct voice, Kent’s work is part of what makes the instrumentation so in-tune. Her cello skills, which she perfected at IU, anchor the band’s sound.

The group received the 2005 Mercury Prize Award for the album “I Am A Bird Now,” which included Kent’s recordings and string arrangement. She also contributed to this year’s “The Crying Light,” which was released on local label Secretly Canadian.

After graduation and before joining Hegarty and co., Kent went on to join the cello-rock band Rasputina. She enjoyed her stay with the group, citing the experience as a “liberating (feeling) to be part of a project that was completely cello-centric.”
She also relished the perks of being on Columbia Records.

“It was interesting to get swept up in the whole major-label experience and to have the chance to do a lot of touring, most memorably opening for Marilyn Manson,” Kent said. “It definitely gave me an informed perspective on the music business.”

The Vancouver, Canada, native decided to take up the cello at the age of 6, after she attended a Mstislav Rostropovich concert with her parents. She suspects her parents’ encouragement played a role in her decision.

Kent chose to attend IU for its world-renowned music school and the opportunity to additionally pursue a degree in arts administration. She also said she thought highly of the IU faculty, whom she describes as “truly stellar” and “immensely inspiring.”

Although she is a band member and musical collaborator, Kent released a solo album, “Delay,” in 2007. The debut features multi-tracked cello, omnichord and field recordings of airports.

After spending so much time in airports while touring, Kent became fascinated with airports as wide open spaces and the locus of intense emotion with the impact of departures and arrivals.

“I tried to convey in music specific emotional states that I found became intensified by the transitions of travel,” she said.

Currently, Kent is touring in Europe with Antony and the Johnsons. She said she has already completed a lot of material toward a future solo record.

“I’m eager to get it finished and get it out,” Kent said. “I continue to work with any interesting artists who come my way.”