Meet Yumi Kendall, the Assistant Principal Cello of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Project 440’s newest Board member! Our interview highlights here career in music and how she learned of Project 440.
Q: How did you get involved with Project 440, and what drew you to this organization?
I'd like to think I've been involved with Project 440 since its beginning days! I've been friends with Joseph Conyers since 1999 when we met at Verbier the summer before we entered Curtis. Since hearing about the origins of the organization and seeing its evolution over the years, becoming a Board member felt like an inevitability!
Q: What inspired you to give to Project 440 as a donor and as a working Board member?
Making official what was already happening felt so natural. I've enjoyed serving Project 440 in unofficial ways (playing at salon events, serving on a committee), and now being a part of the inner Project 440 family solidifies my commitment. Most of all, it's exciting to be a part of the ever-changing arts landscape and to work with such a vibrant, dynamic Board and staff!
Q: What drove you to pursue a career in music?
Some careers evolve from a smooth trajectory, and some are sparked by realizations or sudden inspirations. Mine was a combination of both. The trajectory aspect: I've been playing cello since I was five years old, and my (American) family has had deep involvement in music since before I was born. Being surrounded by musicians, many of them professional, showed me what a fulfilling life one can have as a musician. The spark of decision -- to "go into" music -- came in my senior year of high school, right after taking the SATs and realizing that while my friends were applying to traditional colleges, I really should be applying to music conservatories. It was an important decision point and just felt right. Of course, life has many turns, and in 2016, in my 12th season in the Philadelphia Orchestra, I took the opportunity (and challenge) to go to grad school at the University of Pennsylvania for a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology. It changed my life! The intersections of music and the science of well-being (positive psychology) has opened up exciting doors: a new community of people and professions, and ideas, studies, and questions that extend to organizational well-being as well, which resonate with my love of my own Philadelphia Orchestra as well as Project 440 and other important organizations I care about. Life is full of opportunity!
Q: What are some of your interests/hobbies that you do in your free time?
Wait, what's free time?
Actually, all kidding aside, at the moment, I'm in social distancing mode due to the pandemic as I think we all are. I'm working on several projects for the Virtual Philadelphia Orchestra, and that's taking a lot of mental space in a great way. In the meantime, I'm staying sane by enjoying spending time with my family, learning new recipes, and getting ready for some big personal life changes (baby due in October!).
Q: Why do you think our work is important?
Project 440 is not just important, it is necessary. It is necessary because of its focus on service, on giving back to one's community. At its core, Project 440 believes it's not just enough to be a member of society; Project 440 says our world now needs all of us to give of ourselves in whatever ways we can, and to think of ourselves and act as ambassadors of a cause, a reason d'etre. Thus, Project440 is especially essential for young people, in whom the organization strives to cultivates a sense of purpose by giving to the world around us. I'm proud and honored to be a part of Project 440!
