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 Jennifer Reff
Las Vegas, NV
Singer/Actress
Blue Lake affiliation: Camper, 1998; International Choir, 1999
Instrument: Voice |
Once you get to know a little about Jennifer Reff, it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out what attracted the Las Vegas-based, Michigan-born singer and actress to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. As a trained singer, actor, and dancer, Jennifer could have chosen any one of those disciplines to major in when she attended Blue Lake in 1998. She chose the Choral Program that year and auditioned for the International Choir during her session. Her acceptance into that group meant that she toured France, Germany, and Denmark in 1999. Jennifer’s twin sister, Marie, also a dancer, enrolled in the Dance Program in 1998 and traveled to Europe with the Ballet Ensemble in 1999.
After graduating from Marquette Senior High School in Marquette, Michigan, Jennifer studied Anthropology at Western Michigan University before transferring to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she studied Anthropology and Theater Arts. After her move to Las Vegas, Jennifer began to study voice again, starting with lessons in the Seth Riggs Technique for pop singing, but returning to classical voice lessons with Regina Sommers and Madeline Cappella. Her ballet and acting studies continued, as well.
Las Vegas has proved to be a significant creative outlet for Jennifer and has helped her to hit her stride as an artist. As a member of the Artiste Dell’Arte at the Venetian Hotel, Jennifer has sung for shoppers and guests at the hotel’s re-creation of Venice’s Grand Canal. She has acted in regional theater productions, including a scene from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera” in the Broadway revue Meet Tony. She has gotten her feet wet in modeling and has even won an award for co-writing a radio program.
Jennifer has also begun to make a name for herself with independent filmmakers in the Las Vegas area. Her credits include roles in One Dollar Difference, Passage of Four, and Fragile. Her largest role to date was as Melody in a film called Christmas Rolls. In that film, Jennifer portrayed a young woman who finds the courage to sing, despite a disability. The film has been posted to YouTube in several parts by the film’s director.
So, what has all of this work been leading to? Although Jennifer still hopes to continue working in film, her next big project is her first CD, entitled Portrait of a Lady. The CD, to be released in the Winter 2008, plays to Jennifer’s strengths as a singer and blends a number of her strongest influences: the music of Enya, Kate Bush, Evanescence, and Sarah Brightman; anthropology; the Victorian era; and classic literature. Information on this project and Jennifer’s burgeoning career can be found at her website: http://jenniferreff.com.
Jennifer Reff is passionate about her work. Her intelligence and self-awareness is helping her to define a vocal style that will be unique to her. In the interview below, conducted via e-mail, Jennifer describes her Blue Lake experience, the challenges of her chosen profession, and Portrait of a Lady:
UpBeat Editor: What do your parents do? Are they musical or artistic?
Jennifer Reff: My dad works for the US Forest Service and is also a writer. My mom is a Human Resources Specialist at a major resort and casino on the Vegas Strip. She is really into arts and crafts and likes to sew. She made a lot of my sister’s and my clothes when we were kids. My parents were very supportive of us and encouraged our involvement in the arts. They are both really big fans of classical music and dance.
What do you remember about the Blue Lake camp session you attended in 1998?
I can remember most of the girls in my cabin, especially my cabin mate Becky, who was my best friend at Blue Lake that summer. She was also my best friend on the European tour in ‘99. Highlights of that camp session were tie-dying tee-shirts with my cabin and the camp dance.
I really loved the mornings at Blue Lake. I remember always thinking that the camp looked like an enchanted forest with the misty lake and the mist in the trees. I also really enjoyed the staff concert. I always remember one of the choir staff who sang a piece by Mozart. I can’t remember her name but she was really impressive. The cold showers were not my favorite.
Concerning your trip with the International Choir in 1999, do you remember where you went? Who was your director that year? Do you remember what any of the repertoire was?
Kevin Johnson was our ICE Director. Some of my favorite songs we sang were Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Pie Jesu,” “Send In The Clowns,” “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel (it’s been one of my favorite songs ever since), and the “Habanera” from [Bizet’s] Carmen. My least favorite was “Cindy.”
[Editor’s note: Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes,” in a lovely arrangement by former King’s Singer Bob Chilcott, is a regular repertoire item for the International Choir.]
Several of my stops were Foix, France; Stockelsdorf, Germany; Bad Mergentheim, Germany; Bückeburg, Germany; Wertingen, Germany; and The Hague, Denmark.
What were the highlights of that trip? Did you have a favorite place where you sang? Was there anything you didn’t like?
Denmark was a major highlight and was definitely my favorite stop on the tour. What really stood out for me about Denmark was how exceptionally beautiful and distinctive it was. All the trees grew permanently bent over and slanted because the wind blows constantly. It stayed light until about 11:00pm and then the sun would come back up by 3:00am. It never seemed like it was dark outside.
Our concert in Foix, France, was my favorite place to sing because it was in a beautiful old cathedral. I also remember our concert in Denmark really well. It was outside and it was really cold and windy. I was freezing!
Other trip highlights were visiting the Baltic Sea, Fleckenstein Castle, an ancient burial ground in Denmark, staying at a hostel in France, and visiting my extended family in Germany. Even the long bus rides between stops were fun. We had two tour buses. One was the girl's bus and the other was predominantly the boy’s bus with a few girls. I was one of the girls on the boy’s bus and I remember tons of practical jokes and laughing a lot. I also loved the really strong coffee served in bowls for breakfast and living on a diet of French baguettes, ice cream, cappuccinos, and chocolate for three weeks.
 All of my host families were really nice and did so many things to make our stay special, but my Danish host family—Bennie, Marianne, and their kids—were my favorite. They took us to so many interesting places and I can remember staying up really late and getting to know them. About a year later, they sent me a letter and a Denmark guide so that I would not forget them. They were really sweet, generous people and the perfect host parents. I remember the first morning I stayed at their house, Marianne had us make our own lunch. Hurrying to get ready, I didn’t make my sandwich very neatly and she was so upset because she worried someone would think she made it and that they would take us ([my roommate] Cassie and me) away from her because she was "unfit." Needless to say, she made our lunch for the remainder of our stay. We also visited their summer cottage out in the country. It was so quaint and picturesque with windmills and goats and sheep in the meadow.
What led you to Las Vegas? Why not New York or Los Angeles? Is it an environment that encourages and enhances your creativity?
Initially, I moved to Vegas as a stepping stone to Los Angeles. It seemed less scary than LA and I could still go to college while I tried to get some experience in the industry. Almost immediately after moving here, I had the opportunity to work as a casting intern which taught me so much about the movie industry. I got a crash course in headshots, resumes, and casting calls. However, I quickly learned that the Las Vegas market is very different from the LA and New York market. Hollywood will always be Hollywood and Broadway is still in New York but there is a lot of opportunity for a performer in Vegas and we have a thriving music scene here.
You’ve had the opportunity to play a lead role in an independent film, Christmas Rolls. Did you have any rehearsal for it? How long was the shoot?
Our rehearsals were mainly several read-throughs and one rehearsal. The shoot was only a couple of days. We had one really long day of principal photography and then several short days filming scenes at various locations. All the filming was done in December and January, except the outside scene with Melody and Renee. It was an added scene filmed in April. I remember being all bundled up in winter jackets and it was probably 90 degrees outside. If you look close, you can see how bad we are both sweating.
Shane Pullar [the director and writer of Christmas Rolls] is such an inspirational man and a role model for me. He has a disability, but he doesn't let it slow him down and his mindframe is, "Why should it?" He has an awesome sense of humor, he is extremely articulate, he has so much energy, and he has an amazing passion for making films. I really admire him!
On your website, you describe yourself as a "classical crossover recording artist." You also have theatre, acting, and modeling credits. Is the singing what you hope will win out?
Music is my passion and it will always be my first priority, but, I’m also very interested in making films. I would love to make thought-provoking and heartfelt films.
If so, are the other activities things you are doing to achieve the singing goal or would you pursue one of the other paths? In the "best of all possible worlds," what do you see yourself doing?
I’m a shy person and performing is very liberating for me because it allows me to express myself. I think all of it—modeling, acting, singing, and dancing—is very similar. It’s all about being able to express different aspects of yourself and human nature. In a perfect world, I would love to sing Christine in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, I’d love to continue recording, and I would love to have my own film production company, and produce and act.
You say that you’re not a fan of the traditional operatic sound. Do you feel that your voice is best suited to the Enya/Kate Bush/Evanescence style, or are you adapting your voice to sing in that style because you’re drawn to that type of music? Is it a little of both?
For along time I thought the only way to make a CD was to get a record deal. So, I made a demo and sent it to tons of record labels, but no one was interested. The classical labels said I was not classical enough and the more avant-garde labels said that I was too classical. I remember one label e-mailed me and said, "Congratulations, you have a very unique voice, but you don’t fit our catalogue." It was very disheartening because as a musician you assume, and hope, that uniqueness will set you apart. My voice is probably best suited for light arias, operetta, and musical theater, but I really love singing with breathy vocals. I don’t have a big enough voice to sing "real" opera and I don’t have the belt voice required for pop music, so I think my style has evolved out of my shortcomings as a vocalist. However, I‘m lucky to have a chest voice and a head voice so I can sing different styles of music. Also, my taste in music is very diverse, so I try to incorporate all my favorite aspects of different styles into my sound. For Portrait of a Lady, I recorded a cover of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” and it was so much fun to sing because I didn’t have to worry about technique. It’s about being in character and conveying emotion rather than perfect technique. However, it was challenging at times not to sing with vibrato and to mix my voice with more chest on the pop songs. It was a great learning experience and taught me a lot of vocal control.
What does the music that you’re recording mean to you? What does it say about you?
All of the songs that I recorded for my album resonated with me very deeply because they represented an ideal. I love music that is dreamy, dramatic, and haunting. I also love poetic lyrics that have a lot of imagery. I prefer moody minor keys over dance or up-tempo music, so, that’s what I usually choose to sing. I’m a romantic, imaginative, idealistic, introverted person and I think the mellow sound of my album and music choices reflect those qualities of my personality. Also, I think there’s a dichotomy to me as a person which is reflected in my music. I‘m as strong as I am shy and my music is soft and ethereal, yet edgy.
You’ve said that you’ve been working on the concept for your CD for 4 years and that your interest in anthropology, history, and classic literature inspired the project. Can you expand on that? How has the project evolved? What is it about the Victorian period that resonates with you?
The Victorian Era has always been a catalyst for my imagination because it has such a romantic persona. I’m a huge fan of the poetry, the Pre-Raphaelite art, the gothic literature, and the idealistic artistic bohemian lifestyle that the era fostered. I wanted Portrait of a Lady to be a musical score to an unwritten Victorian novel. I wanted my CD to encourage imagination and to allude to the romance and melodrama of how the Victorian era is portrayed in art and literature. The project started out a lot more classical than it turned out. Originally, it was just going to be a recital recording with voice and piano as I was listening to mainly classical music at the time. Then, I started listening to Tori Amos, Nickelback, and Evanescence, and then the whole Glam-Goth phase took off in mainstream music and I felt inspired to include a more pop element. I ended up with 10 songs for the CD, but I’ve probably experimented with 16 or more. A while back someone told me, "It’s really hard to make a good independent CD." I really took that comment to heart and worked very hard to make sure my album was quality. Probably the biggest lesson that I learned during the process of making Portrait of a Lady is that the artist is the face of many talented contributors and people behind the scenes.
Who is producing the CD? When is it going to be available? Has it been picked up by a label or are you distributing it yourself? If our readers are interested in getting a copy, who can they contact?
Portrait of a Lady is an independent release and is tentatively scheduled for release Winter 2008 (hopefully no later than mid-February). It will be for sale on CdBaby.com, Amazon.com, and available for purchase through my website www.jenniferreff.com.
Do you have management?
That’s my next goal, once my CD is released.
You appear to have a lot of versatility, in your variety of work and training and in the image you’re cultivating. Has this helped you? Is it something that is important to be able to do in the entertainment industry?
I think it’s very helpful to be well-rounded and versatile when you're looking for work in the industry. You have more skills to offer and also as a performer you have more options.
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