Featured Artist: Maura Lefevre of Pen & Pear

Maura Lefevre is a multi-hyphenate artist based in Los Angeles. After receiving her Bachelor of Music degree in Opera Performance, she took her love of calligraphy and painting and her musical background and created Pen and Pear: a one stop shop for hand-calligraphed sheet music. The art of Pen and Pear has been featured in best selling books, in theatrical productions, and has been sold all over the world. With all her work at Pen and Pear, Maura strives to capture the beauty and heart of each song she dictates.

Check out her Featured Artist Page!

Can you share the story behind the creation of Pen & Pear?

Before Pen and Pear was born I had started calligraphy as a hobby. I had always had really bad handwriting in school, and it became something I wanted to reclaim. I loved drawing and painting and calligraphy allowed me to look at handwriting as an art form instead of a means to an end of getting words on paper. 

I started off making name cards for dinner parties for my friends just for fun and was encouraged by them to turn it into a business. Since my circle of friends consists of so many musicians, eventually one of my friends asked me to calligraph a piece of sheet music, and it was received so well I realized, Aha! I found a niche. 

How did your musical background influence your journey?

The two things are so interwoven. My degree is in Opera/Vocal Performance and I started seriously studying voice when I was 12. Opera is such a powerful artistic medium in that it not only is auditorily completely captivating but true grand opera done right is also so visually captivating. I am always trying to tap into that in my work. Having musical fluency gives me the ability to approach this work with confidence. 

Were there any specific moments or experiences that inspired you to build Pen & Pear?

Full transparency,  the ideas for Pen and Pear started to come around 2018/2019 and this was when Meghan Markle really came on to the scene because of the royal wedding. I was surprised to learn that while she was trying to make it as an actress, calligraphy was her day job, and this was hugely inspiring to me, I thought "I can do that!"

How did you come up with the name Pen & Pear?

I moved to France in 2016 to become an Au Pair and while I was living there I started a blog called 'Au my Pair' detailing the ups and downs of being an Au Pair and being an American living in Paris. When I decided I wanted to create my calligraphy business, I borrowed the 'Pair' as a nod to that time in my life, and turned it on its head a bit. 

Could you describe your style and what motivates you to choose a piece to transcribe?

Hm! The style of my transcriptions I'd say lean more feminine and nostalgic (if you're nostalgic for 1745). There aren't a lot of sheet music transcribers that I've found online so I have a tough time comparing it to other styles. What I am always trying not to do is compare my work to a computer. All of our sheet music is computer made today (which, thank god it is, it'd be a nightmare if it wasn't) but my job is tough because that's my frame of reference and I am sort of forced to compare myself to a machine's work. 

The pieces I choose to transcribe fall into two camps: demand, and my own personal taste. Some pieces are just so loved it's a no brainer to transcribe them, but some of these pieces I just love so much and already have such a strong visual element built into them (like the theme from Swan Lake, or Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's) that they become an obvious addition to my shop. 

Has your creative style evolved over time?

My confidence and ability has certainly evolved, and that has allowed me to get closer to what I'm aiming for. 

What are some parallels between singing and art?

Flow and confidence are crucial. I have a joke with myself that calligraphy feels like low stakes surgery. But what you can't do is think about the stakes once you're in it, that kills the flow. With both singing and calligraphy there is a flow and once you start you've got to stay in that state. Having confidence in yourself to navigate the piece, whether singing or writing, is what leads you through, keeps you locked in, and also what makes it fun. 

How does singing/being a musician impact your ability to create art?

I think for me, it's actually the other way around, creating art has hugely benefited/impacted me as a musician. Putting so much of my focus on music for so much of my life created a lot of blind spots where music was concerned, and it wasn't until I seriously pursued other mediums that things began to click for me musically. I'm also an actor,  and learning to take the attention off of myself, my inner doubts and anxieties,  and put my focus outside of myself  (onto a scene partner or otherwise) majorly impacted my relationship with music. In visual art, that's much easier to accomplish because it's not a performing art, it's something I do unobserved. 

Strengthening my connection to a flow state makes more sense to me as a musician now because of my connection to that state in visual art. Also, I don't feel too much preciousness towards my visual art. I take it seriously and value my work but it's not crippling and doesn't prohibit me from putting it out into the world, even when it's imperfect. Having such a detached relationship to the outcome of how my art would be ''received" made me realize I could have that relationship with all the art I make. 

Can you highlight a favorite score transcription?

By far my best selling transcription is Clair de Lune by Debussy. It's actually the only piece I have transcribed in its entirety because so many people asked for the full piece. It's become the gold standard I'm always trying to emulate. 

How do you balance the business aspects of running a shop with a singing/acting career?

That's tough because honestly,  I haven't yet found a balance where I don't feel like I am always on the clock. The great thing about Etsy (where Pen and Pear lives, for the most part) is I have full control of my workload. For example, I booked a play in upstate New York and knew I would not have the ability to do anything Pen and Pear related while I was up there, so I put my shop on vacation mode for a month and a half and it was totally fine. On the flip side, it's really really great not relying on any one medium for complete fulfillment, because when there isn't work to be done on one, there's always work to be done on the other. 

Looking back, what advice would you give to your younger self?

Trust your instincts, and focus on the best next step instead of the big picture. 

Do you have any upcoming projects or goals you are excited about and want to share?

I've got a lot I am excited about! I recently made the decision to put my roots down on the west coast and it's so far been a great decision for me personally and artistically. I'm looking forward to pursuing my work from that grounded place in a post-covid world. 

What is your favorite song/composer/play/show? 

Oh my god ah! I really couldn't pick one. My favorite classical composer is probably Bach (he was my most listened to artist on my spotify wrapped this year lol) , I don't have any Bach in my Etsy shop, so that's got to change. My favorite musical for the past couple years has been Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. A play I really want to be in is Amadeus. I think Pagliacci is my favorite opera. A lot of drama!