Nora Germain
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Nora Francesca Germain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | August 21, 1991 Madison, Wisconsin |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | violinist, session musician, bandleader, author |
| Instruments | violin |
| Years active | 2009–present |
Nora Francesca Germain (born August 21, 1991) is a Catalan-American jazz violinist currently based in Los Angeles, California.
Biography
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Germain studied from a very young age until she was 15 at Suzuki Strings of Madison, a classical violin school co-founded by her mother.[1][2][3][4] Her father was a violin luthier.[5] Both her parents were classical violinists in the Madison Symphony.[6] Germain studied jazz violin starting in high school at Idyllwild Arts Academy, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, and Thornton School of Music at University of Southern California.[6][7][8][9] She has produced and released numerous recordings as a leader including Little Dipper, Go For It, (recorded in New Orleans, Louisiana), Variations on a Violin, and Postcards from Violin Mountain.[10][11][12][13] She has worked with Jon Batiste,[14] JMSN,[15] Postmodern Jukebox,[6][16] Lewis Capaldi,[17][6] John Altman,[18] Jacob Collier,[19] Casey Abrams,[8] Dee Dee Bridgewater,[20] KNOWER,[21] Clayton Cameron,[22] and Sam Smith,[23] among others.
She also released a book about her early life and creative process called Go For It… Surviving the Challenges of Becoming an Artist, which focuses on themes of musical integrity and spiritual resilience, as well as her struggle growing up in an alcoholic home.[7][9] Germain was named a “Rising Star” of Violin by jazz publication DownBeat in 2023.[24] She was also featured in the score for the Hulu original film She Taught Love in 2024, performing as a violin soloist.[25]
Since 2007, Germain has been mentored primarily by Marshall Hawkins, head of jazz at Idyllwild Arts Academy and former bassist for Miles Davis and Shirley Horn. Germain has remarked that Hawkins taking her under his wing was "life changing," and they continue to perform together on a regular basis.[6][26][27] She was also mentored by Martin Taylor, longtime guitarist for Stéphane Grappelli.[28][6] Germain has noted that her musical inspirations include Hazel Scott, Ray Charles, Stéphane Grappelli, Clark Terry, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Itzhak Perlman. She records and practices violin acoustically, but performs live using an LR Baggs pickup or a single microphone. Germain was particularly influenced by Stéphane Grappelli’s 1956 album Improvisations, which features Grappelli in a piano quartet in contrast to his earlier recordings with guitarist Django Reinhardt.[6]
Germain has performed with her own groups of various configurations in Los Angeles,[29] San Diego,[5] Scotland,[30] and London.[19] She also gives talks and masterclasses on creative mindset and musical improvisation.[31][32] Germain prefers to play by ear. She regularly performs as a special guest soloist in many genres and approaches improvising from a primarily melody-based perspective.[6][4]
References
- ↑ "Faculty -". Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "Mrs. Maria-Rosa Germain | People". Suzuki Association of the Americas. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "More About Emerging Jazz Violin Player, Nora Germain". Violinist.com. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "How Nora Germain got her Jazz Violin Education". Violinist.com. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Violinist Nora Germain to Perform at Dizzy's : Presidio Sentinel". presidiosentinel.com. 2015-01-07. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Clark, Jed (2020-05-25). "Jazz Violinist Nora Germain". AcoustiCult. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Alumna, jazz violinist Nora Germain authors new book". USC Thornton School of Music. 2017-02-09. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Fessier, Bruce. "Jazz in the Pines puts emphasis on arts academy alumni". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Media, Women in Jazz. "Nora Germain: Go For It: Surviving the Challenges of Becoming an Artist | Women in Jazz Media | New Releases". womeninjazzmedia.com. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "Little Dipper". The Strad. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ Gama, Raul Da (2017-04-03). "Nora Germain: Go For It". Jazz da Gama. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ Variations on a Violin by Nora Germain on Apple Music, 2023-05-19, retrieved 2025-03-23
- ↑ Postcards from Violin Mountain by Nora Germain on Apple Music, 2024-10-20, retrieved 2025-03-23
- ↑ "Skylark (feat. Jon Batiste) - Nora Germain: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts". Shazam. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ JMSN - Live Atwater Village, 2020-01-20, retrieved 2025-03-16
- ↑ "This "Old Fashioned" Remake of the "Family Guy" Theme Will Make Your Day | Postmodern Jukebox". postmodernjukebox.com. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ LewisCapaldiVEVO (2019-10-09). Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved (Live on Ellen). Retrieved 2025-03-16 – via YouTube.
- ↑ ljazzn (2015-06-29). "REVIEW : Nora Germain at Pizza Express Dean Street (also available as video-stream)". London Jazz News. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 ljazzn (2015-03-12). "NEWS: US Violinist Nora Germain to make UK debut (Pizza Express Dean Street, 1st April)". London Jazz News. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "LADIES WHO JAM: WOMEN IN JAZZ feat. DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER". San Diego Symphony. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ KNOWER - Knower Forever, 2023, retrieved 2025-03-16
- ↑ "Beverley Church Hogan: 90th Birthday Concert || with Special Guests P (...) at Catalina Bar and Grill". DoLA. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ Jazz, All About (2018-09-18). "Rising Stars: Wondrous Woman article @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "71st Annual Critics Poll: Complete Results" (PDF). DownBeat. August 1, 2023. p. 47. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ↑ She Taught Love (2024) - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-03-16 – via www.imdb.com.
- ↑ "Arts Enterprise Laboratory (AEL) | Idyllwild Arts Academy". Idyllwild Arts. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ CSULB Music (2024-10-10). Nora Germain & Miles Jensen Masterclass. Retrieved 2025-03-16 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Martin Taylor MBE (2023-02-03). Martin Taylor's Happy Hour Hangout with Jazz violinist Nora Germain. Retrieved 2025-03-16 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "About & Out – What's Hot In SoCal Jazz – The Week Of May 30, 2022". About & Out - Tom Meek's Weekly Best Bets For Live Jazz In Los Angeles And Across Southern California. 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "Shiplake College". www.shiplake.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ "Arts Enterprise Laboratory (AEL) | Idyllwild Arts Academy". Idyllwild Arts. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
- ↑ CSULB Music (2024-10-10). Nora Germain & Miles Jensen Masterclass. Retrieved 2025-03-16 – via YouTube.
External links
- www.noragermain.com
- Nora Germain discography at Discogs
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