Jenni Asher (born 1986 or 1987) is an American musician, composer, and cantorial student.[1][2][3] If and when she is ordained as a cantor, Asher will become the first known ordained cantor who is both a woman and Black.[1]
Early life and education
editAsher grew up in Pasadena, California. She was introduced to music at a young age; her white mother took her to orchestral concerts and her Black father was a singer who enjoyed jazz. At age four, she decided she wanted to be a violinist. Asher was isolated as a child; raised in the evangelical Worldwide Church of God, she was homeschooled, and music events were her main exposure to the outside world.[1][3][4]
Asher earned a bachelor's degree in violin performance from the Royal Academy of Music, and a master's degree in Music Leadership from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[3]
Career
editMusic
editAsher has released three albums: London (2014), Freedom (2017), and Yaladati (2021)
In addition to violin, Asher also plays cello, double bass, erhu, piano, and viola. Her 2021 album, Yaladati, was self-produced over the course of four years, with Asher singing and playing all the instruments on the album.[1][2]
In the mid-2010s, Asher worked as a music teacher.[5]
Musician Bodywork
editAsher founded Musician Bodywork, a massage business focusing on serving musicians. The business was inspired by her own experiences with tendonitis throughout her teenage years. She earned her massage certification in 2009, and worked as a massage therapist at the Royal Academy of Music while attending the school as a student. She is a member of the Performing Arts Medicine Association.[1][3] Asher has also taught classes on massage therapy for violinists.[6]
Personal life
editAsher lived in London for nine years while pursuing her higher education.[3] While living in London, she began attending services at London's Central Synagogue, and decided to convert to Judaism. She converted through both the Conservative American Jewish University and through a Sephardic Orthodox congregation. She later became a cantorial student at Academy for Jewish Religion California. As of February 2024, Asher works as a cantorial soloist for a Conservative synagogue in Los Angeles.[1]
Asher met her husband in a chat room in 1999, and the two married when she returned to the United States.[3]
Asher and her husband have two children.[1] The family attends a Mizrahi synagogue in Santa Monica.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Esensten, Andrew; Kirya-Ziraba, Shoshana McKinney (2024-02-27). "Jenni Asher is set to become first ordained Black woman cantor". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b Kirya-Ziraba, Shoshana McKinney (2024-02-29). "6 Black Jewish Artists You Need to Know". Hey Alma. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ a b c d e f "Meet Jenni Asher of Musician Bodywork in Valley Village". Voyage LA Magazine. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Ben-Moche, Erin (2020-08-12). "Black Jewish Cantorial and Rabbinical Students Share Their Experiences of Racism in the Community". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ "Jenni Asher". Academy For Jewish Religion | California. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ Niles, Laurie (2012-08-27). "Massage Therapy for the Violinist". Violinist.com. Retrieved 2024-03-31.