Music I Am #22 – Jessica Bowers, mezzo soprano
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The moment when you knew you wanted to be a musician:
Freshman year of high school, I auditioned for a solo in jazz choir, the song was “Steam Heat” from “The Pajama Game”. I had been kind of shy before this, but I stood up and belted my face off and it felt amazing. The whole choir cheered for me, and I knew this was something pretty special that I wanted to keep doing.
An important skill for a career in music that does not have anything to do with an instrument or making music:
Punctuality, a good work ethic, being pleasant to work with, never stop learning, learn something from every single person you encounter or work with. But mostly – punctuality.
Two ways you stay motivated:
Always be working toward the next thing, no matter how big or small.
Find a hobby that has nothing to do with music to give yourself breaks and prevent burnout. For me, it’s running, Red Sox, and baking.
Latest Project:
The New American Art Song series. Every year, Oren Fader, guitarist, and I present a concert of new works written for mezzo and guitar. We present the concert three times in New York City over the course of the season. It is our mission to promote new American art songs through commissions, concerts, and recordings. As of this year, we have presented the world premiers of 52 works written for us in the past seven years. We’ve released two albums featuring some of this music.
What inspired it:
Initially, the composer Paul Salerni. He wrote us four song cycles in a very short time span (about two months) several years ago and we thought – hey, this could be our thing, new American art songs for mezzo and guitar.
Who’s on it:
The players are Oren Fader and me. Each year, we feature 6-8 composers on the concert. This year, we are proud to play music by David Glaser, Joel Suben, Tim Mukherjee, Gene Pritsker, Jeff Young, and Victoria Bond.
How do you discover new music?
Recommendations from friends, social media, going to live concerts.
One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:
Living – Paul Salerni. Obviously, I’m a little biased, but the man writes amazing music that everyone should be programming and playing. He writes songs, operas, ballets, chamber music, and orchestral works.
Dead – Dame Clara Butt. She was a contralto in the early 1900’s and her voice was a force of nature. Unfortunately, the recordings of her are not great because recording technology was not great. I would love someone to master some of her recordings.
Where can we find you online?
www.bowersfaderduo.com
Instagram
Spotify
Upcoming Event you’d like to share?
Our third performance of this year’s concert will be on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 7:00pm at Loft 393, which is at 393 Broadway, New York, NY
