Isolation Commissions #35 - Jenny Andersen

Commissioned by Cynthia Toze

In Memory of Philip Toze

My Home by Jenny Andersen

Cynthia Toze dedicated Isolation Commission #35 to her father Philip, who played many instruments through his life, including the accordion, an instrument that had been missing from this project.

In memory of Philip's musical life, musician/actress/songwriter/teacher Jenny Andersen performs her song about something we have all become far more familiar with during the pandemic: our homes.

Born and raised in Calgary, Jenny’s first experiences with performing arts included accordion lessons starting at the age of five, as well as numerous choirs. She attended the University of Calgary, receiving the Chancellors’ Club Scholarship (the first time the full academic scholarship had been awarded to a student entering the Fine Arts program), and completed a B. Mus. in Vocal Performance concurrently with a Diploma in Music Performance at Mount Royal College…but spent the vast majority of her time in the U of C Drama Department, completing a Minor in Drama and realizing that was where she was meant to be all along.

In February 2006, Jenny moved to Vancouver to pursue artistic opportunities beyond her hometown. She first sang for nine seasons with the Vancouver Chamber Choir, one of North America’s premiere professional choirs, and worked as a private music teacher, conductor, and cabaret/concert vocalist.

The musical she composed with book/lyrics by Andrew Wade, TITUS: The Light and Delightful Musical Comedy of Titus Andronicus, won the 2015 Vancouver Fringe’s “Pick of the Fringe” award, received an Ovation Nomination for Best New Work, and is being remounted at the York Theatre. She has played both accordion and piano on a professional level, and continues an active career as a freelance vocalist and music teacher.

https://jennyandersen.musicteachershelper.com

To support front line artists in this unprecedented time, and to foster reflections on that time from our musical community, Little Chamber Music has created the Isolation Commissions.

For $200, commissioners got to choose an artist to film a 4min video of themselves performing at home, something that reflects the impact our extraordinary social situation is having on their artistic practice. It might be an improvisation, a favourite piece, a work that brings comfort, a work in progress….that was up to the artist.

These videos are meant to be a snapshot of the lives of front-line artists who have been heavily impacted by our current crisis, and the hope is that, when we get through this, collectively they will form an artistic reflection of this unprecedented and difficult time.