JINI SCOVILLE - Singer/Actress/Performer
"Allow me to introduce myself..."
I'm pretty sure I've been singing since birth. My parents were both working musicians and fostered a love of singing in me from the very start. We were THAT dorky family that has sing alongs (complete with harmony, snapping, etc) in the car on long road trips. I was lucky to have what was essentially ear training at about 4 years old when my dad would call me into his studio in our little apartment in Sherman Oaks. He'd have me a sing a song, he'd record it, then play it back to me while I listened through headphones and sang in a "round" with myself. Very cool stuff. =)
I attended a day care camp full of kids from similarly musical/bohemian/L.A. performer-type families.... so, of course, many of our activites centered on putting on plays and musicals for the community. I became a fast friend of the stage as a child, and continued to pursue a career in the performing arts. In high school, I received a tremendous amount of music, dance, and overall performance training as a 4-year member of John Burrough's nationally acclaimed show choir, Powerhouse (think "Glee" but the REAL DEAL!) and had the opportunity to tour and attend (AND WIN!) national competitions, such as Showstoppers and Fame.
I won the title of Grand Champion Soloist at NYC's Showstoppers competition in 2003.
High school ended and I decided to do a year in community college. In retrospect, it was a good thing for me. While I HATED junior college (let's face it - it's high school, only you can smoke), I had a lot of fun singing with the jazz ensemble. I spent my nights in blues clubs all around the L.A. area, sitting in with friends' bands and even attending jam sessions. I was 18 and timid, but somehow the blues came soaring out of me with ease. Every time. I knew I needed to stop procrastinating and dive headfirst into music-making.
I went on to study voice at the University of North Texas. Why? A brilliant guitarist friend told me I should. I started out as a vocal jazz major but as I went along, I decided I wanted a broader sort of education. I loved singing everything from showtunes to arias to the silliest pop standards. I ended up stuyding Voice Performance and also got my Teacher's Certification in music, with (essentially) a minor in Jazz Studies. I learned to READ music like my life depended on it. =) During college, I toured with UNT's A Cappella Choir - the premier ensemble of the UNT choral program. I made several appearances in the Dallas theater circuit - including productions of Gospell, The Secret Garden, and Little Shop of Horrors - and even found time to run off to perform in various music and theater festivals around the country (Bay View, Michigan being one of my favorites!) during the summers.
After college, I returned to Los Angeles to leap (*gulp*!) back into the audition world. After only a couple months, I was hired as a Lead Female Vocalist for Stiletto Entertainment, starring in production shows for Holland America Line, one of the world's leading luxury cruise lines. I get to wear gorgeous Bob Mackie gowns and sing about a million songs (EVERY genre imagineable!) for new audiences every couple of weeks.... Oh, and did I mention I get to see the world?! =) I also do Showband/Party Band contracts in the "inbetweeentime" for both CCL and HAL. Always up for a new adventure and eager to filly my resume with more of what I LOVE, I now split my time between ship contracts and pursuing music theater roles and recording projects back at home in L.A.
I attended a day care camp full of kids from similarly musical/bohemian/L.A. performer-type families.... so, of course, many of our activites centered on putting on plays and musicals for the community. I became a fast friend of the stage as a child, and continued to pursue a career in the performing arts. In high school, I received a tremendous amount of music, dance, and overall performance training as a 4-year member of John Burrough's nationally acclaimed show choir, Powerhouse (think "Glee" but the REAL DEAL!) and had the opportunity to tour and attend (AND WIN!) national competitions, such as Showstoppers and Fame.
I won the title of Grand Champion Soloist at NYC's Showstoppers competition in 2003.
High school ended and I decided to do a year in community college. In retrospect, it was a good thing for me. While I HATED junior college (let's face it - it's high school, only you can smoke), I had a lot of fun singing with the jazz ensemble. I spent my nights in blues clubs all around the L.A. area, sitting in with friends' bands and even attending jam sessions. I was 18 and timid, but somehow the blues came soaring out of me with ease. Every time. I knew I needed to stop procrastinating and dive headfirst into music-making.
I went on to study voice at the University of North Texas. Why? A brilliant guitarist friend told me I should. I started out as a vocal jazz major but as I went along, I decided I wanted a broader sort of education. I loved singing everything from showtunes to arias to the silliest pop standards. I ended up stuyding Voice Performance and also got my Teacher's Certification in music, with (essentially) a minor in Jazz Studies. I learned to READ music like my life depended on it. =) During college, I toured with UNT's A Cappella Choir - the premier ensemble of the UNT choral program. I made several appearances in the Dallas theater circuit - including productions of Gospell, The Secret Garden, and Little Shop of Horrors - and even found time to run off to perform in various music and theater festivals around the country (Bay View, Michigan being one of my favorites!) during the summers.
After college, I returned to Los Angeles to leap (*gulp*!) back into the audition world. After only a couple months, I was hired as a Lead Female Vocalist for Stiletto Entertainment, starring in production shows for Holland America Line, one of the world's leading luxury cruise lines. I get to wear gorgeous Bob Mackie gowns and sing about a million songs (EVERY genre imagineable!) for new audiences every couple of weeks.... Oh, and did I mention I get to see the world?! =) I also do Showband/Party Band contracts in the "inbetweeentime" for both CCL and HAL. Always up for a new adventure and eager to filly my resume with more of what I LOVE, I now split my time between ship contracts and pursuing music theater roles and recording projects back at home in L.A.
