A native of Springfield, Oregon, Gina was born to sing and raised in a home full of music. She started training classically at the age of 8 in the Oregon Children’s Choir and had her first paying gig at the age of 11. By the age of 15 she was putting together her own groups and regularly singing in jazz clubs, often waiting outside during breaks because she was underage. She went on to study Jazz on scholarship at the University of Southern California and graduate studies at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute, now known as the Herbie Hancock Institute.
“I am forever grateful to SFYCA and Dr. Anton Armstrong for cultivating and deepening my passion for music. During our workshops and rehearsals I was inspired by the focused work ethic, the attention to detail, the artistry, and the creativity in our approach. I have carried these ideals with me into my professional music career as an international performer and educator. In our workshops I was introduced to Alexander Technique for the first time. It shaped my own method to vocal pedagogy and inspired my books. I have beautiful memories of my experience that I will always treasure. SFYCA is an incredible gift to young musicians.”
Gina is now an international jazz performer, college instructor, recording artist, session singer, model, actress and three time published author. She is currently finishing her 4th book, Vocal Technique for Songwriters, she is an adjunct professor at Santa Monica College and teaches full time in the Bachelors Department at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. On October 19th, 2019, Gina released her latest record, Duetto, on Swingfest Records. It debuted at #4 on the Itunes Jazz Charts. She is also featured on Jeff Goldblum’s newest record which comes out November 1st on Decca Records. Her appearance on the album was announced on Billboard and Rolling Stone Magazine, amongst others. Gina has performed with Jeff Goldblum for 7 years as a special guest. Her performances with Jeff and his band, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, include numerous performances at The Rockwell in Los Feliz, The Arroyo Seco Festival, Campbell Hall, The Wallis, 24 hours of reality with Al Gore, and 2 nights at The Blue Note Hawaii.
Gina has performed all over the world, including for the State Department in Washington, D.C., and toured Viet Nam with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Nnenna Freelon. Gina enjoyed 4 tours in Japan, her last with Grammy nominated pianist Bill Cunliffe. She has performed headlining tours in South Korea 5 times, in Oregon with pianist Benny Green, at Club Nokia at LA Live in Downtown LA, Savannah Jazz Festival with Doc Handy, The Discovery Series in Jacksonville, Florida, with John Lumpkin and the Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival, She recently taught in Beijing, China, for a music camp and continues to teach clinics as a guest speaker and adjudicate jazz festivals all over the US.
For more info on Gina visit: ginasaputo.com