{"id":427,"date":"2014-03-28T00:06:53","date_gmt":"2014-03-28T07:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=427"},"modified":"2014-05-03T13:50:53","modified_gmt":"2014-05-03T20:50:53","slug":"gasoi-at-the-rothstein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2014\/03\/28\/gasoi-at-the-rothstein\/","title":{"rendered":"Gasoi at the Rothstein"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jennifer Gasoi (photo from jennifergasoi.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2003, the Jewish Independent<\/i> reviewed Jennifer Gasoi\u2019s debut children\u2019s album, Songs for You<\/i>, describing it as \u201cintelligent, energetic, philosophical, educational, at times silly and, most importantly, it\u2019s high-quality music.\u201d Since then, Gasoi has garnered numerous awards and nominations for her music. The latest \u2013 her second CD, Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well<\/i>, took home the 2014 Grammy Award for best children\u2019s album.<\/p>\n

With the big January win still fresh, Gasoi \u2013 the first Canadian to ever receive this Grammy honor \u2013 returns to Vancouver next month. Living in Montreal since 2002, she is not only coming back to see family, but to perform two concerts on April 12 to benefit the Children\u2019s Hearing and Speech Centre of British Columbia.<\/p>\n

Gasoi, who also won the 2013 Sirius XM Canadian Indie Awards for children\u2019s artist of the year, the Parent Choice Award and the Canadian Book Centre\u2019s selection for best children\u2019s music, and was a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition and a Juno nominee for children\u2019s album of the year, took time to speak with the Jewish Independent<\/i> before her upcoming visit.<\/p>\n

JI<\/b>: You\u2019ve won other honors and nominations in your career. In what ways, if any, is the Grammy different, and in what ways has it already affected your work\/schedule?<\/p>\n

JG<\/b>: The other awards and nominations were wonderful accolades, but winning a Grammy has taken my career into a whole new realm. I\u2019m being asked to speak and represent many different organizations. I\u2019ve had quite a few requests internationally \u2013 to play shows (U.S.), to submit my music to radio stations (Australia), to sell my CDs (a theatre company in Oklahoma) and I\u2019ve even had interest to play a show in China. There\u2019s a certain status associated with being a Grammy winner that I\u2019m still getting used to! It\u2019s been quite a challenge keeping up with all the requests and opportunities arising. There\u2019s no question that new doors are opening and my horizons are broadening.<\/p>\n

JI<\/b>: You have consistently put out quality recordings. From where do you find your inspiration? How do you keep the work fresh and interesting for yourself?<\/p>\n

\"CD<\/a>
Jennifer Gasoi won a Grammy this year for Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well. (image from jennifergasoi.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

JG<\/b>: I am inspired by life. By people, experiences, nature, music, small moments, unexpected interactions, synchronicities. Sometimes, it\u2019s just a simple two-minute interaction that can inspire a song. Or a memory can be the catalyst. \u201cThe Little Things\u201d started off with the image of jelly tots\u2013 little candies that I used to love as a child \u2013 and it spun into a whole song about all the joyful moments from my childhood. \u201cThe Pizza Man\u201d was inspired by a real-life pizza man at a iconic pizzeria in Montreal. Inspiration can hit anytime, anywhere. To keep the creative energy flowing, I see live shows, listen to music, practise yoga and meditation, go for walks on the mountain, take improv comedy classes, watch inspiring videos, dance, and spend time with creative and inspiring people. Children are one of my main sources of inspiration. They continually amaze me. They are so full of life, connected, brilliant, openhearted, pure and so much fun to be with. They remind me of what is really important in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

JI<\/b>: You\u2019ve been very involved in the Jewish communities of both Vancouver and Montreal. In what ways, if at all, has your Jewish heritage\/upbringing\/communal ties influenced your life\/work?<\/p>\n

JG<\/b>: There is something very special about being part of such a close-knit community in both Vancouver and Montreal. It has provided me with a real sense of belonging and groundedness. When I was a child and attended synagogue at Temple Sholom, I was deeply moved by the music played during the services. I love Jewish music. It touches my soul. My Jewish heritage has definitely influenced my songwriting. In my first album, Songs for You<\/i>, I have a klezmer tune called \u201cThe Animal Party,\u201d and, in my latest CD, Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well<\/i>, the hora features prominently at the end of \u201cThe Purple Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have the privilege of playing music for seniors and patients in several hospitals in Montreal. There is a significant Jewish population, so I often play classic Jewish songs such as \u201cHinei Ma Tov,\u201d \u201cHeveinu Shalom Aleichem\u201d and \u201cB\u2019shana Ha\u2019ba\u2019a.\u201d I once played Hatikvah during one of my gigs at a Jewish seniors group held in a synagogue, and everyone in the room stood up and sang along. It was so powerful, it brought me to tears.<\/p>\n

JI<\/b>: Are there any projects on which you\u2019re currently working\/collaborating?<\/p>\n

JG<\/b>: I have some projects in the works. That\u2019s all I\u2019ll say for now. My priority is to get all my business in order so that I can continue to create music, perform and reach a wider audience.<\/p>\n

JI<\/b>: Is there is anything else you\u2019d like to share?<\/p>\n

JG<\/b>: I am so grateful to be living the life of my dreams. I hope that I can inspire others \u2013 big and small \u2013 to take chances in their lives, to live from the heart and know that anything is possible.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Gasoi will perform twice at the Children\u2019s Hearing and Speech Centre of British Columbia\u2019s annual Family Concert on April 12, at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The event at the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre \u2013 which raises funds to support CHSC\u2019s audiology program \u2013 will also feature clowns, games, auction items and face painting. Tickets are $15.50 per child and youth under 17, $18.50 per adult 18 and over, and $60 for a family of four (two adults and two children under 17); they are available from childrenshearing.ca<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jennifer Gasoi (photo from jennifergasoi.com) In 2003, the Jewish Independent reviewed Jennifer Gasoi\u2019s debut children\u2019s album, Songs for You, describing it as \u201cintelligent, energetic, philosophical, educational, at times silly and, most importantly, it\u2019s high-quality music.\u201d Since then, Gasoi has garnered numerous awards and nominations for her music. The latest \u2013 her second CD, Throw a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[788],"tags":[174,173,172,41,170,175,171],"class_list":["post-427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-childrens-hearing-and-speech-centre","tag-chsc","tag-grammy","tag-jccgv","tag-jennifer-gasoi","tag-rothstein-theatre","tag-throw-a-penny-in-the-wishing-well"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}