These continue to be unprecedented, uncertain times yet artists are finding strength in community and creativity. In this account, we hear from Jazimina MacNeil. She is a mezzo-soprano by trade and training, who finds herself wearing the hat of an actress and/or a writer from time to time. Lately, Jazimina has taken to calling herself a “creative catalyst” as well.
We’re proud to share this story of Jazimina, in her own words.
Tell us a little bit about yourself as an artist - what do you make, what drew you to it, why, how did you learn it, how do you get it out there?
I am a mezzo-soprano by trade and training, and I also find myself from time to time wearing the hat of an actress, and a writer, and I’ve taken to calling myself a “creative catalyst” as well. By creative catalyst I mean someone who has an idea and brings the folks together to make it happen. As a singer I freelance and am hired to perform mostly classical music, although I am now also working on an American Songbook program with pianist Gordon Peery, which is a rollicking good time. My mother adored the opera singer Leontyne Price, and I grew up with her glorious voice in the air; the fact that a human body could make such a beautiful sound has fascinated me since I was young and this wonder and fascination continues. I first attended a summer program for high school classical musicians based at Tanglewood, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and from there I was completely hooked. I then went to the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, followed by the Manhattan School of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music. I also attended many wonderful training programs and apprenticeships during the summers: Marlboro Music, SongFest, The Schubert Institute, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and Tanglewood Music Center.
How has your creative path changed in the last year?
One of the great gifts of this past year has been my continuing collaboration with Electric Earth Concerts and the Harris Center for Conservation Education. I first connected these two organizations through our project Danika the Rose. (more info here: https://www.jazimina.com/danika-the-rose). Most recently, in October we created a musical hike called The Singing Stream, which pairs the beautiful Hiroshi Loop Trail with Franz Schubert’s tender song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin. (more info here: https://www.jazimina.com/the-singing-stream). We are now in the midst of a three-month Environmental Studies Institute course called “What A Wonderful World Song Club” which explores songs inspired by the natural world with listening and discussion. (more information here: (https://harriscenter.org/events/environmental-studies- institute-what-a-wonderful-world-song-club-with-jazimina-macneil/2021- 01-06). We are also working on another musical hike for the spring, which will interweave birdsong with poetry, mythology, and music inspired by birds as symbols of hope and renewal.
Has your day to day changed in the last 6 months?
I have not performed publicly since February 2020. Rehearsals and performances provided structure to my days and were a great source of energy and inspiration; I sorely miss being in the room with my colleagues, creating together. The biggest realization I’ve had over the last six months is how much I depended on and fed off of and am fed by the energy in the rehearsal room as an artist who collaborates and does not create in a vacuum. The creative work I am doing now is on the generative end: having an idea and bringing the team together to see it through, which is exhilarating in its own way.
What is your dream or wish for arts in our region and in the state of NH in 2021?
I hope that we can continue to find innovative ways to safely share art with each other, to bring solace, a true feeling of togetherness through shared experience, and new voices to the forefront in a time when all of this is so needed.
I hope and dream and wish that our beautiful artistic institutions will continue to be supported financially this year to carry them through to the other side of the pandemic. I am doing my best to creatively come up with programs which I hope are safe and meaningful and inclusive to all!
What else would you like to share?
I would like to say a heartfelt “Thank You” to all those who have generously donated to our local arts organizations this past year, and who continue to offer their support! These organizations in turn support artists like myself and it means the world to be buoyed in such an uncertain time by our beautiful community in the Monadnock Region. More information about the work that I do and my collaborators here: www.jazimina.com