For big-name musicians, making a music video tends to be a glamorous affair. Sets bustle with hair and makeup teams, craft services tables, well-stocked trailers and world-class choreographers and dancers. For Gregg Kallor (LA '00), however, the making of his music video, "Broken Sentences," was decidedly different - and much less plush.
Instead of a buzzing set and endless production assistants, Kallor, a New York-based pianist and composer, simply had himself, his filmmaker friend Alan McIntyre Smith, 88 pianos and the five boroughs. The idea for the video was to film Kallor playing "Broken Sentences" at the nearly nine-dozen hand-decorated pianos placed around New York for public use by the non-profit organization Sing For Hope, which Kallor describes as "the Peace Corps for artists." The catch: The pianos were only available for approximately two weeks in June - and after that they would be gone.
In order to make the video in just two weeks, Kallor said that the pair had to plan extensively and work quickly.
"It was tough because we didn't want to monopolize the pianos," he said. "So it would be quick and dirty. I would play through the piece once, maybe twice if we had time." Despite the rushed filming schedule, Kallor and Smith were committed to making sure the video's creative core was not lost in their haste.
"Alan tried out a bunch of different film techniques and shots," Kallor said. "We brought a steady cam and also filmed a bunch of still shots that we later pieced together in the video."
Kallor, for his part, said the location of the pianos - in busy, public places around New York - did not affect the emotional effort that goes into performing, though the experience was assuredly not conventional.
"It was a strange feeling, I was pouring my heart into this thing, but it takes a lot to grab the attention of New Yorkers, so for the most part people ignored me," he said. Nevertheless, he would occasionally find a small crowd gathered around him, which he attributes to the "otherness" of the project.
"I think there's something about seeing this crazy looking piano and trying to understand the context of it," Kallor said. "People got a special experience in not going to a concert hall."
Kallor was not alone in thinking he and Smith had made something special. "Broken Sentences" made it onto this year's Grammy ballot for Best Music Video.
Starting out at Tufts
Although Kallor appreciates the recognition, he does not take it for granted - getting to this place in his career has been a long and challenging journey. Kallor came to Tufts as a transfer student and enrolled in the university's dual degree program with the New England Conservatory of Music. However, he ultimately withdrew from the program to work solely toward a bachelor's degree in American studies from Tufts, citing the intensity of the program as a reason for leaving.
"It looks pretty sexy on paper to say you went to music school and to Tufts, but there was so much going on I felt I didn't have time to delve in at either place," he said.
Kallor also acknowledged that his time at conservatory did not allow him the freedom he wanted with his music.
"I had grown up with classical music and jazz and a bit of musical theater, but I left [the] conservatory because I didn't want to give up either classical or jazz," he said. "They wanted me to pick one. It turned out not to be for me."
Kallor's path, as it happens, has balanced the two genres - and even as his career has progressed, he remains hesitant to put himself in categories.
Despite his passion for music, it was not the focus of his time at Tufts.
"I either minored in music or double majored - I can't quite remember," he said. "Tufts didn't have a direct impact on my career, but it was a really special time. I made great friends, took classes with incredible teachers and really learned to think for myself."
Kallor even went to Talloires with Tufts - a program that continues to be a hallmark experience for many students today.
Humble beginnings
As college wrapped up, Kallor looked to pursue a career in music.
"I'd always known it was what I wanted to do, but a part of me was a little unsure senior year. All my friends had applied to grad school or were going off on some major career path," he said. "I wasn't really sure until right after I graduated and thought, 'What the hell?' and I moved to New York."
It certainly wasn't smooth sailing.
"There was a lot of hair pulling, teeth grinding and nail biting," he said of the beginning of his post-college life. "I really had no idea what I was doing. I came here not knowing anybody. I knocked on doors of clubs and restaurants looking for gigs."
Kallor was also torn creatively. Pursuing jazz more than composition or classical when he arrived in New York, he eventually turned back to classical after working with a piano teacher who "reignited [his] passion" for the genre.12
