Jenni Roditi GGSM VMT-R MMus Dist.
During the 2020 lockdowns Jenni used the time to write an extensive chapter on her leadership work for a forthcoming Routledge publication entitled - 'Women in Musical Leadership, from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day'. Her chapter will be titled 'Beyond Music Workshops - A Composer and A Community'. Publication is due in November 2023.
Her other lockdown musical development was to purchase a desktop looper which she has been composing and improvising on as a soloist and with musicians Alistair Smith, harp, Adrian Lee, guitar and Jaka Skapin, voice - via the internet software Sonobus, which provides no latency audio rooms.
Since 2015 Jenni has been directing and producing her work with improvisation choirs - both with professional and community singers. The film Land Mass created by TIC with collaborators Toby Thompson - poet, Sara Pozin - filmmaker and Cassie Yukawa-McBurney - piano.
Jenni has composed extensively since a young age, especially for the voice, notably two full-length chamber operas; The Descent of Inanna and Siddhartha-Spirit Child, both commissioned and premiered in London by Lontano. The operas are noted for their use of a mix of classical and non-classical singers in lead roles, their lyricism and unbound stylistic references. She also wrote the score for the BBC2 Sound on Film series, titled "SOS Songs of Seduction".
Between 2016 and 2019 Jenni was part of a team of vocal coaches, and artistic lead, on the Guildhall School of Music's Finding a Voice: The art and science of unlocking the potential of adult non-singers’ research group, directed by Dr. Karen Wise. She worked with around 20 non- singers in group music and creativity sessions and composed a song which was performed at the final event by the participants.
Jenni is on the Classical Committee at the Ivors Academy for Music Creators and has been a judge for the Ivors Composer Awards on multiple occasions. She is is an Associate of the Institute of Composing.
Jenni has also written orchestral, choral and chamber work, many songs in contemporary classical/extended vocal technique. She has also written in pop and folk idioms. In 2013 she won an Independent Music Award as the vox populi winner in the instrumental song category for the first movement of her piano duo Between the Octaves, Initiation.
She trained as a Voice Movement Therapist in 1992-1993 and was the first student to complete the training run by Paul Newham. She saw clients as a therapist from 1993 - 2009.
In 2012 she founded Vocal Tai Chi expanding her facilitation work to include performances at the microphone and instrumental accompaniment for the singers.
She ran a salon des artes for eight years (ending 2009) from her home, The Loft, in North London, where she hosted over 100 concerts, championing many musicians; classical, folk, jazz, Indian, African, Middle Eastern, Chinese, contemporary classical, electronic, post modern, free improvisation, ambient, new age, gypsy and more. She created a unique space for artists and audiences to gather together.
2014 saw Jenni complete two new scored works; one a trio for flute, oboe and piano for Trittico, performed at the 1901 Arts Club and another for double ensemble - Ignite/Shiva Nova, working across new classical, jazz and world music, premiered at Kings Place. 2015 also included a premiere of Roditi's piece Fall Leaves Fall for the Genesis 16 choir, at the Cheltenham Festival.