Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

It has been such a long time since I last posted that the interface on this thing has changed! I'm hoping to turn over a new leaf and be more on top of updating my professional endeavors via this blog... A little late for a New Year's Resolution, but better late than never?

Here are a few other fun things I've been up to lately (since I can't possibly catch you up with the past 3 years!):

I sang in Paris in June with one of my musical soulmates, pianist Sheldon Forrest, at Club Rayé! It was nice to FINALLY get to visit him and be able to scratch "Singing in a Cafe in Paris" off my Bucket List! And the audience was very warm and enthusiastic! I thought I was only going to sing 3 songs, but I ended up singing pretty much my entire binder of songs and then some! It was as if we had never been apart... If you ever find yourself in Paris, stop by It's a beautiful place with wonderful drinks and a FANTASTIC atmosphere! Here's a picture from my Paris adventure:

 

I also got a ukulele for my birthday, July 22nd, and 4 days later, I had the opportunity to play it and sing with my amazing friend, Bridget Ellsworth as part of her debut at the Path Cafe in the West Village and it was a complete success!  I had never played a string instrument before (True Story...I totally cheated on guitar whenever I played Maria Von Trapp in Sound of Music) and she was both a patient and talented teacher, which made it very easy for this eager student to pick up!  I'm looking forward to more gigs to come!  Stay tuned! Here's a picture with my new obsession:

 

I have also been wearing my producer hat lately, as my co-producer and fellow actress, Juliet O'Brien and I are in the editing phase of our passion project, Stronger: A Short Film.  Please stay tuned to this website for more updates!  Here's our official poster, which I know we're rather proud of, photographed and created by the fantastic Jason Moskowitz:

 

I have a lot of other things on the horizon, so stay tuned!  Film projects galore, most likely singing my usual fall gig with Cobblestone Entertainment and also gearing up for Caroling in the Winter, and more gigs on the ukulele!  

I am constantly grateful for the opportunities I have been given to use my talents as an artist.  The fact that I get to use so many of them as an instrumentalist, singer, and actor (on both stage and screen) makes my heart happy. 

UPDATES...ABOUT TIME!

It's been awhile since I've written to update everyone on my comings and goings!

In the past year, I've been busy...Here are a few of the things I've been up to that I can think of off the top of my head...

* I am now a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA!

* I had another busy caroling season with the Cobblestone Carolers

* I sang "7 Last Words of Christ" (DuBois) with the good folks at First Baptist Church on 79th and Broadway.

* I assisted composer and producer, Alphonzo Terrell, with composing and singing back-up vocals for an original song, "Born to Win". ​​

* I sang for the NYU Medical Center Graduation

* I sang "Nothing to Lose But Your Heart" for an Arts Division Conference at the Florida Nature and Culture Center in Weston, FL.

* Most importantly, I've been going through a lot of major changes and obstacles that have inspired me to really focus even more with what I want in my life. I am determined to win on the stage of life and I look forward to sharing more exciting news with all of you in the near future!

STAY TUNED!!!!

UPDATES: January 2011

Jasmine's starting off 2011 running!

* Jasmine performed two original pieces with Paul Knopf, Byron Singleton, and a full chorus with jazz ensemble at Church of the Village.

* Reunited with the NY Rock the Era Chorus and began teaching "Over the Rainbow" (the Hawaiian-inspired version) and they sound AMAZING in the process!

* Continued her scene studies with Larry Singer and is looking forward to performing a scene from "Rabbit Hole" in February.

* Is gearing up for audition season and finalizing/brushing up on her audition material!

* Continued to study voice with Wendy Sharp.

* She started the year off right, putting together a comprehensive business plan for 2011 as part of her "Organized Actor" workbook!

UPDATES: December 2010

December is always a busy month for me and this year is no exception!

Here is what I have done (so far) this month:

* Officially joined AFTRA...Now I am a professional on paper!

* Is now on Facebook...Become a "Fan":


* Sang with Byron Singleton as part of the Bailout Theatre's concert series, featuring original songs by Paul Knopf

* Sang in the chorus as part of a benefit gala for the OR Organization, featuring performances by Liz Callaway and Dudu Fisher, at Merkin Hall.

* Christmas Caroling galore...A busy season, indeed! Appearances at Garden World, Short Hills Mall, The American Museum of Natural History, The Union Club, A CT Nursing Home, etc...Fingers Crossed for another appearance on Letterman!

* Had two wonderful classes with Tina Marie Casamento and found some powerful new material for upcoming auditions!

UPDATES: November 2010

* I am currently rehearsing new pieces with Paul Knopf and Byron Singleton in preparation for a concert at Judson Church on December 1st. One piece is a tango and the other piece is about a person grappling with alcoholism and facing their demons in triumph.

* Caroling season begins on November 28th at the Short Hills Mall from 1-4pm. Looking forward to working with a very talented group of people again!

* I have a number of charitable performances planned for December. I always do at least one, in the spirit of the season. These are my most rewarding performances of the year...Stay tuned to this blog for updates. :-)

* The musical theatre audition panel was a success! I was well-received by the panelists and got some very wonderful feedback.

* I am continuing to work with Tina Marie Casamento as my voice coach and am looking forward to what's around the corner! We're finding new and exciting songs for my audition book as well!

* I am continuing my studies with Larry Singer and have had a number of wonderful breakthroughs in class, particularly in an unrehearsed scene exercise!

* I am continuing to study with my voice teacher, Wendy Sharp. There have been a number of wonderful developments with my vocal technique since I began to work more closely with both Larry and Tina as well. I feel like I have a great "team" of people on my side!

Have a wonderful holiday season!!!!!

UPDATES: October 2010

After a year of family and friends and basically EVERYONE around me getting married in various places across the globe, I'm officially back on the fast track to being available for longer theatrical projects again! I'm VERY excited to be back!

With that said, this is what I am currently up to:

* I just sang at the NYU Medical Center Graduation again this year with the lovely folks from Cobblestone Entertainment.

* I performed with and supported the chorus as part of the Ikeda Youth Ensemble at a meeting with 2,500 in attendance.

* I am slated to do a jazz project with Paul Knopf and Byron Singleton in December...Stay tuned for updates!

* I am taking a Musical Theatre Audition workshop with Tina Marie Casamento that concludes in late October with a panel of great industry folks! I'm finding and working on some wonderful new songs for my audition book!

* I am currently working on scenes from "Amadeus" and "Criminal Hearts" for Scene Study Class with Larry Singer.

* I will be singing with the Cobblestone Carolers again this holiday season...Keep checking this blog for updates!

* I am beginning to teach private voice lessons and take on my own students, while continuing to take voice lessons privately with Wendy Sharp.

A Different Role- What Jasmine Did This Summer...SO FAR!

This summer, I took on a challenge that not only helped me to believe, "If I can do this, I can do ANYTHING!!!", but also brought me back to the most basic reason why I love music so much and why I have chosen to make it my life.

As part of a World Peace Festival entitled, "Dream Big. Change the World" which was organized and performed entirely by people under the age of 35, I had been asked to lead the chorus. This chorus was comprised of 350 people from the ages of 11-35 who came from the Eastern United States from Maine to the Caribbean. Some people have been on Broadway and some had never sung a note in their lives...

We all learned a wonderful song by John Legend entitled, "If You're Out There", as well as an original song, "Rise". Our challenge was to bring everyone together and unite not only musically, but with our hearts and souls to spread the messages of these songs to a crowd of roughly 12,000 people in attendance at The Liacouras Center at Temple University in Philadelphia.

There were many challenges and obstacles that tried to stop us in our quest, not to mention the fact that we only had a day and a half to really bring it all together before the performance! Through blistering heat, a young woman collapsing of dehydration, some people not having access to or knowing the arrangements of the songs before getting there, another young woman breaking her foot getting off the bus, acoustical problems in the arena that made it difficult to sing with the backing tracks, people who had traveled as far as New Orleans for this festival, people with severe lack of sleep (I had a total of 9 hours of sleep in 3 days!), nerves that come with singing in front of 12,000 people, people's own personal obstacles, etc...It turned out to be a huge victory, not only for me, but for the people I had the privilege of conducting and uniting with, as well as everyone who attended our performance.

One of the most triumphant moments for the chorus group was when we decided, as a chorus of 350 people, to sing one of our songs a capella! When I suggested this initially, I thought people might shy away or object, but in my heart I knew they were all ready to take it on. Apparently, they all thought so too...Just at the suggestion of this challenge, they were cheering and celebrating with joy! At that moment, I KNEW that these are the people I would want to go into "battle" with...(Funny enough, for the sake of world peace! LOL!)

When we performed, from the moment they stood up in perfect unison, I knew something very special was about to happen. I felt everyone collectively break through the obstacles in their lives, whether they wanted to be the best accountant, performer, student, etc. when we all sang (From "If You're Out There"): IF YOU'RE READY WE CAN SHAKE THE WORLD! BELIEVE AGAIN!!! IT STARTS WITHIN!!! WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR DESTINY!!! WE SHOULD BE THE CHANGE THAT WE WANT TO SEE...IF YOU'RE OUT THERE!!!!!!!

It is a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life. The power of music is truly amazing.

I have eaten, slept and breathed music for most of my life. To be in a position to introduce music to people who have never encountered it on this level before really brought me back to why I love performing so much. In learning how to teach what I know, it brought me back to thinking about all the fantastic people who taught me so selflessly, to do what it is I am able to do today as a performer. It also made me appreciate and better understand my younger sister's position as a music educator. To be able to give in this way really opened my life up in ways I'm still trying to fully process.

It made me realize that striving to be a performer on Broadway for World Peace is only a piece of a much bigger puzzle. I haven't figured out the entire puzzle yet, but I am going to enjoy the journey SO MUCH!!!!

To the people that I am so grateful to have shared this experience with, I know this is just the beginning of many more wonderful things to come!!! You were fearless, through it all!!! And absolutely united and amazing...You all taught me so much! THANK YOU!!!! It's about so much more than just the music!

I feel like this experience is going to change the way I approach all of my work and I'm looking forward to seeing how this all manifests itself!

Here is a picture of the chorus and me:



And another picture of me conducting with my fabulous pink gloves at the dress rehearsal:



And here is a video of the chorus performance at the festival:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDkd5rU3g18