Suzuki Program Coordinator, Cello Department Head
JENNA GIRONE-VIRGILIO
Name: Jenna Girone-Virgilio
From: East Islip, NY
I started teaching music in… 2004
I started teaching at the Conservatory in… 2010
My inspiration: My students inspire me to be a better teacher every day! 🙂
Few people know that I… love swing dancing, I enjoy learning languages, and I have a cat named Daisy.
Education: The Hartt School at University of Hartford – Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance
Mannes College of Music at The New School – Master of Music in Cello Performance
Suzuki Training in Books 1-8 at School for Strings with Pamela Devenport
I play and teach: Cello
My other artistic/musical endeavors: I play with Rhymes with Opera and the Red Door Chamber Players, although Red Door seems like it may not be performing together very much anymore. I also have plenty of music for cocktail hours for various sized string ensembles.
I also perform with Rhymes with Opera, a contemporary opera company which was featured on the cover of Opera News magazine! We perform pieces that are commissioned for our small cast of singers and unique ensemble of violin, viola, cello, saxophone, percussion, and piano. Topics have included a sci-fi opera and an opera about four Dolly Parton super fans waiting to meet Dolly! For more information, go to the link below!
Personal Teaching Statement: Having experience with the Feldenkrais Method, Dalcroze, and Music Mind Games, my versatile training allows me to approach my teaching from a visual, aural, or kinesthetic standpoint, depending on the student’s needs. One teaching method or explanation does not work for all students. This is why I approach lessons with each unique individual or group of students in a way that connects to them and the way that they learn best.
My approach to teaching music is full of vivid analogies, hands-on activities to reinforce ideas, and questions to get my students to think for themselves not only to analyze what they are looking at on the page, but also how to approach getting an optimal sound out of their instruments. I am always looking for creative and out of the box ways to get a student to understand something, whether it is getting them up out of their seat, or doing an experiment to see what happens when we push boundaries. With these things in mind, my goal is for every lesson to be fun, educational, and productive.
Biography: Jenna Girone-Virgilio is the Head of the Suzuki Cello/Bass Department and the Suzuki Program Coordinator at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. She completed training in Suzuki Cello Books 1-8 from School for Strings with Pamela Devenport; additionally, she completed an apprenticeship with Tova Rosenberg through the School for Strings’ Early Childhood Program and spearheaded that program from 2010 until 2017, working with children ages 1-4. She has been on the faculty at the Riverdale Country School, Virtuoso Suzuki Academy, Belle Arti Center for the Arts, and Manhattan Youth.
Jenna earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from The Hartt School in Hartford, Connecticut, where she studied with Steven Thomas. She went on to receive her Master of Music degree in Cello Performance at New York’s Mannes College of Music, under the guidance of Paul Tobias.
As a performer, Jenna has appeared in venues across the world, including the Warner Brothers’ Studios in Los Angeles, with the Henry Mancini Institute; as the Principal Cellist with the Mid-Atlantic Foundation for Asian Artists Opera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C; in Italy, as a part of the Opera, Theater, and Music Festival of Lucca; and acting on stage at New York’s Metropolitan Opera as the role of “cellist” in Sir Richard Eyre’s recent production of Giacomo Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut.”
Jenna recorded the soundtrack to “The China Question,” a documentary directed by Brook Silva-Braga, which has been played and featured on CNBC. Additionally, she can be heard on Warner Brothers’ singer/songwriter Matt White’s album, “Shirley,” Jeff Litman’s “Outside” and Nate Graham’s “Daylight.”
In 2020, Jenna had the honor of performing Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire” with the OMNI Ensemble at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. She has also performed with such distinguished organizations as the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Ensemble 212, and the Mimesis Ensemble. Jennifer is a core member of Rhymes with Opera, and a founding member of the Red Door Chamber Players.
