Today we’d like to introduce you to Elena Camerin Young.
Hi Elena, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Every time I visit with my cousin in Italy, she never fails to remind me how annoying I was, as a kid, as I was singing all the time! I actually started on piano, but I never found my true passion in it; I was already 24 when I started to study voice. I would participate in almost all the workshops held by American jazz singers who traveled to Italy. It was Michelle Hendricks who gave me the Spoleto Arts Symposia Award, which consisted of a trip to New York and some concerts with local musicians. I ended up moving to NYC in 2008, where I lived for seven years and where I met my husband, Khabu Doug Young. With him, I moved to Boulder in 2015 and since then I’ve been teaching at Naropa University, starting the monthly jam session for free improvisers “OH SNAP!”, co-founding the Nalanda Ensemble and I joined the board of Creative Music Works
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been like… life. At times smooth, at times really challenging and bumpy! I never thought, in the beginning, that I would have been a singer, a musician, that this was my path. So, I haven’t focused on this “career” as a way to make a living until much later. It turns out that this is what I do.
As a woman, I must say that I had some unpleasant experiences: being mocked by musicians when using a precise language, not even considered by sound engineers, explicitly invited at a journalist’ place who “would help with my career” and so on.
It hurts to see how much ignorance and biases still exist, but I also see that things are changing at a steady pace.
I admire and have lots of faith in the younger generation!
The other challenge for musicians is the balance between integrity and daily life needs. What I mean is that for many of us, sometimes the artistic choices are sacrificed to the money gig and the uncertainties we face on a daily basis are unfortunately bad advisers. I feel quite at peace with this balance in my life, as I came to a point where I always give my creative and artistic flow all the space they need; I found that by doing so, I actually can reach my artistic goals, opening doors and finding opportunities I didn’t think were possible.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When people ask me what kind of music I do, I am always in a pickle. I don’t like labels and I really don’t know how to describe my music. I guess what works best is the word “avant-garde”, but what I do is simply listen and contribute to the music in the most sincere way possible. My goal is to share the life force in music, to take the audience with me in my journey, to show, tell, sing what I see, hear and feel. I believe that improvising is the best way to share your authentic self and we badly need authenticity.
In my compositions and songs, I seek the same things; I always leave much space for improvisation and I always welcome other musicians’ contributions. When composing, I follow my inspirations and first impulse, and try my best not to let my ego overwhelm my creative process, and keep the judgment away (Is my music interesting enough? Is it cool? Will it be liked?)
One of the comments I loved the most was coming from a person in the audience who said ” I want to be happy like that woman!”. That woman was me.
I don’t know if the word “proud” describes my feelings about my music, but I am definitely grateful to be able to share joy.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I have a very long list of people to thank! First of all, my first voice teacher, Carla Marcotulli, who encouraged and inspired me. Then Michelle Hendricks, who shipped me to New York using the words” You’re ready!” My friends and music mates in NYC first (Yoon Sun Choi, Ron Horton, Carol Sudhalter, Landon Knoblock…) and then in Boulder (Mark Miller, Art Lande, Farrel Lowe, Bill McCrossen…) and most of all, I must say, my husband, Khabu Doung Young, who continues inspiring and supporting me in all my artistic endeavors.
Each one of these people and many others who I didn’t list, gave me courage and inspiration to keep on moving forward in my musical life, which is, ultimately, my whole life, not only by explicitly encouraging me but also just by living their lives as they do.
Lastly, I want to acknowledge and thank all the musicians who inspired me through their recordings such as Sarah Vaughan, Thelonious Monk, Tom Jobim, Andrew Hill, Jony Mitchell, and hundreds of others!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.elenacamerinyoung.com
- Instagram: elenacyou
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elena1camerin
- Twitter: @elenacyou
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVJm_4oPbSZBKbZxJ62Qh4Q
Image Credits
Roberto Zanardo
Heidi Wagner
Scott Young
Diego Landi
