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Name: Jennifer Grim

Nationality: American
Occupation: Flutist, educator
Current Release: Jennifer Grim's Through Broken Time, featuring works by by renowned composers Tania León, Alvin Singleton, David Sanford, Valerie Coleman, Allison Loggins-Hull, and Julia Wolfe, is out via New Focus.
Recommendations: David Sanford: A Prayer for Lester Bowie. Listen here.

If you enjoyed this interview with Jennifer Grim and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her official website. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.



When did you start writing/producing/playing music and what or who were your early passions and influences? What was it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I heard a sixth grader play the flute in a school assembly. I remember hearing her play and thought it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard, and I immediately wanted to learn how to play. I began lessons when I was eight years old, and for the first few years, I mostly played in my school band but eventually started taking private lessons.

Music was one of many different interests I had as a kid, but after a few years, music was the only thing I kept doing.

When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening and how does it influence your approach to creativity?

I know that some people see colors when they perform, and I wish I had that ability!

I often feel emotions when I perform and try to take the audience on a journey during a concert. Whether playing a piece with a lot of rhythmic drive or something more somber and meditative, my goal is to communicate these emotions through the music.

How would you describe your development as an artist in terms of interests and challenges, searching for a personal voice, as well as breakthroughs?

My interests have evolved over the years, but I've always been drawn to chamber music and solo repertoire.

This interest began at Yale, which has an intense chamber music program. After graduating, I moved to New York and continued cultivating my chamber music career. At this time, I also started playing a lot of new music. As a young professional musician in NYC, most of the performance gigs I got were with new music organizations. I played with most of the leading ensembles (the early 2000s), including Speculum Musicae, Ensemble Sospeso, and Ensemble 21. I also won a position with my woodwind quintet, the Zéphyros Winds. We were active at the time, performing concerts all over the country, on chamber music series, and at universities.

These experiences (namely new music and chamber music) shaped who I became as an artist. I love the intimacy of chamber music; the format is such that there is the freedom of expression that one has as a soloist but also the enjoyment of finding a communal interpretation as a collective.

Tell me a bit about your sense of identity and how it influences both your preferences as a listener and your creativity as an artist, please.

I identify as a biracial black woman, which plays a large part in how I see myself (and perhaps others) as a musician. I've advocated for inclusive programming for a long time and always wanted to record an album that championed the works of Black and women composers.

I am keenly aware that the industry is trying to do better by hiring more diverse artists and composers. As a "beneficiary" of this process, there is a certain amount of (self-induced) pressure that some may feel that this amount of increased attention is not warranted and that I am hired to fulfill some quota.

Because of this, it is essential to ensure that everything I do is of the highest quality possible.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and art?

My goal is to bring about an emotional response from the audience. Whether it is joy, sorrow, beauty, etc., I aim to transport the audience to a place where they can escape reality, even for a moment.

In doing this, every note I play must have the intention and direction of the line.

How would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a "music of the future" or "continuing a tradition"?

Both are important. All music students today should be able to improvise and think creatively in their studies.

As classical musicians, there is a lot of emphasis on “tradition" and “perfection" in our studies. While the art of learning a piece must involve discipline and a degree of “perfectionism," we cannot get lost on this path, or else the joy is gone.

I'll take a performance that displays risks over one that is dry and “perfect" any day.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and what are the most promising strategies for working with them?

The invention of the smartphone has been revolutionary for my development.

We can record each practice session and listen back immediately to get feedback that will help us improve. The technology has also allowed us to make audio and video recordings and share them online, enabling us to market ourselves more efficiently.

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.

My daily schedule varies when I am busy performing, but on days when I am at home in Miami, FL, I usually start my day with a run. Then, I have breakfast and check my email before going to the University of Miami. I get to campus in time to practice for an hour before I begin teaching.

Once at school, I usually teach for about 5-6 hours and then practice for another two hours at the end of the day. I get home between 8-9 pm, where I will make dinner and finish up any admin work I couldn't squeeze between lessons.

In addition to my duties as Associate Professor at the Frost School of Music, I am the Artistic Administrator for Festival Napa Valley, the President of the Board at Chamber Music America, and Vice President at the National Flute Association.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?

My recent album, Through Broken Time was a labor of love that lasted around five years.

I always wanted to record an album of music by Black composers. It took me several years to settle on the pieces. Having this theme allowed me to discover a lot of music, but I also wanted to ensure that the pieces fit a particular aesthetic. The music on this album centers around Afro-modernism and post-minimalism.

While many pieces by Black composers are terrific, it took some time to find the exact collection of works that would complete the album.

Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?

There is a place for both. My career began as a chamber musician, and I find so much joy in performing with others. I also find joy in playing solo, depending on the repertoire.

I recently recorded a solo work of an ensemble piece. “Oxygen”, by Julia Wolfe, was originally written for 12 flutes. Still, being able to record and perform the work as a multi-tracked piece can offer more performance opportunities.

How do your work and your creativity relate to the world and what is the role of music in society?

Music brings people together. Whether in a large concert hall, a small club / bar, or someone's living room, performances offer opportunities for community building.

Art can be a way of dealing with the big topics in life: Life, loss, death, love, pain, and many more. In which way and on which occasions has music – both your own or that of others - contributed to your understanding of these questions?

Making music can be a powerful way of coping with many life events, and listening to the music that a lost loved one cherishes can bring back many memories of joy and happiness.

I will go to this music whenever I miss my family.

How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?

Music and science are very connected. It is exciting to study how the brain works in processing music. I find that musicians are either good at memorizing repertoire OR sightreading, but not usually both.

It's interesting to think about how the brain processes information differently depending on the goal.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

While the processes are the same, I can't compare working on a piece of music that takes months to learn to an everyday task like making a good cup of coffee.

Not to take anything away from making coffee, but the years in the practice room, training on my instrument so that I can play a complicated piece of music with relative ease, is far different.