Jennifer Blades Music
Performer, Teacher,
Stage Director
A Winter's Journey
February 3-4, 2024
Live Arts Studio : www.liveartsmd.org
A Winter’s Journey tells the story of a man and woman who each wander through the cold of winter mourning the loss of their loves. Pairing ten of Schubert’s Winterreise (in an English translation by Jeremy Sams) with Maury Yeston’s companion song cycle December Songs, this fully staged performance piece uses visual projections and supertitles to assist in the storytelling brought to the stage by singers Jennifer Blades and Jason Buckwalter and dancer Nicole Kelsh with Andrew Stewart at the piano. Directed by Elissa De Maria. Original concept by Jennifer Blades.
About Jennifer
I have always been a performer. At the age of three, I had a doll who was as tall as I was, and she danced alongside me while I sang and played my guitar. I wish I could find the photo! I haven't stopped performing since, and I have worked my whole life to become the versatile performer I am today. If you want an example, head over to the Performer page to see an excerpt of my award winning performance as Julia Child in Lee Hoiby's one-woman opera Bon Appétit. To this day, it remains one of my proudest moments on stage.
While doing my masters degree at Peabody Conservatory, I was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to stage direct, and it changed my life. I have been consistently directing since then. Being able to take a score and bring it to performance is such a gratifying experience, especially when you have a team that works tirelessly to get everything up and running. Many of my experiences as a director have been with smaller companies where the production teams do it all, and it makes the end result that much more exciting. Check out the photos from my various directing work on the Stage Director page to see more.
Then, there's the teacher in me. I did not set out to be a teacher. Teaching found me, and I have embraced it as I have embraced my students. Teaching voice and acting to singers has been so completely rewarding to me that I cannot imagine life without my students. The door is always open for new students, so head on over to the Teacher page if you want to know more about my thoughts on teaching and joining the studio.
There's lots to explore here.
