Life & Work with Jennie Rhodes of Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennie Rhodes.

Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
It often surprises people how many pro classical musicians start their training as young children! I’m trained as a classical violinist: piano lessons started at age 4, violin lessons at 10, and on to two music school performance degrees. I’ve played in professional symphonies, operas, contemporary music groups, and numerous small ensembles and taught hundreds of students. After years of dabbling in composition, I finally launched myself as a composer last fall by opening an online sheet music store with my own catalog of works.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One challenge of being a musician is balancing the relentless need to focus and hone your craft to the highest possible level with the practicality of being flexible, creative, and multi-skilled in pursuing opportunities. Most musicians must become “portfolio musicians” and create multiple income streams. This also means we need entrepreneurial and business skills, not many of which are taught at music schools between courses in, say, advanced 18th-century counterpoint or orchestra audition lab. Some music schools are catching on to this and integrating these skills into their curriculums.

I was super fortunate as a college student to jump on board as a work/study employee with one of the top arts presenting organizations in the country. Since then, I’ve been involved in arts admin roles alongside my music-making. I’ve covered ground in programming, marketing, graphic/web design, audio/video editing, contracts, bookings, licensing, finance, education/outreach, production, and management. On the one hand, I thrive off learning new skills and applying my skill stack to whatever project I’m working on. On the other hand, I have to take way more time away from my primary crafts (performing, composing, teaching) than I’d like to handle the administrative side of what I do.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work as a musician has three prongs: performance, composing, and teaching. My main performing group is the Phoenix-based Salonnières (soprano, violin, piano); this trio creates themed programs centered on classical music yet embracing folk, musical theater, popular, and sacred traditions. We’re in our 9th season of giving concerts, many of which are in beautiful private homes around the valley! I love performing up close and personal with our audiences in a much more intimate and connective way than in big halls.
Much of the music I compose is for string players and students (violin, viola, cello). I’ve found affordable ways to help private teachers commission music for their studios, and it’s fantastic when they give me ultra-specific parameters about what they need: a certain level of playing, age group, a skill they’re trying to teach, style or theme, place on a program they’re trying to fill, etc. I’m in the process of creating a model for composer-in-residence programs with local high schools so that I can do something similar for string orchestra programs. I’ve also written several pieces for Salonnières which we’ve recorded professionally and have been performed internationally. My catalog of music is about 50/50 secular and sacred.

Most of my students these days are intermediate to advanced high schoolers, plus several adults. I teach in collaboration with 7 City Strings, a studio that brings together students from several teachers for regular masterclasses, group playing, and recitals. The relationships between teachers, students, and families can be deep and long-lasting, and I love the supportive community that builds around the culture of music lessons and music-making.

What makes you happy?
There’s an expression that musicians can be “emotional first responders.” I deeply feel this to be true. Music is a treasured opportunity to reach people emotionally and connect with them in ways that words often can’t. I’ve experienced when performers with (quite possibly) *nothing* in common become completely dedicated to each other as they work together to put something beautiful into the world. I know what it’s like for that teenage student whose only real one-on-one relationship with an adult other than a parent is their “violin mom.” I’ve felt profound fulfillment when an audience member grabs my hand and shares that something I wrote gave them hope, helped them feel less alone, or made them laugh.

I do have a personal life, too 🙂 I adore my family. My husband and I have 4 kiddos, ages 7-13, and they are so much fun! They might not like kayaking, hiking, museums, garden tours, and Lebanese food quite as much as I do, but they do an excellent job of humoring me. I binge-watch documentaries and am a recovering quilter.

Contact Info:

• Website: jennierhodesmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennierhodesmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennierhodesmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCWxh16eaRjPmRrZdtcmUjA

Image Credits
Kendyl Hawkins, Jamie Alston, Meredith Evans