Janet Smarr Pape writes:
I graduated from the University of Michigan with high honors, having majored in voice performance and early music performance. Upon graduation, I became a member of The Broken Consort, an early music ensemble, and began my career as a cantorial soloist, concomitantly performing early Jewish music and contemporary music. I also appeared regularly in duo with a lutenist, performing the Renaissance repertoire. I was soprano soloist and conductor for six seasons of the Twice Festival of Contemporary Music, held in Michigan. I premiered works by John Cage, Robert Ashley and Gerard Pape.
In 1991 my husband (a composer and psychologist) and I decided to move to Paris to see what more we could do with our careers. After music school, I had earned a M.S.W. from the University of Michigan and practiced social work in gerontology and with families and individuals . In France I couldn't get equivalency for my degree, so I work at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, at the International Energy Agency, as an assistant. I enjoy the field of energy and feel that my editing is contributing to policy making about climate change.
After 30 years together, my husband and I divorced in 2010. We have two sons - my crowning glory. Both got mentions très bien on their baccalaureates. The oldest went to Oxford and is now an attorney in London, and the younger son is attending London School of Economics and has just been admitted to Cambridge for his masters degree.
I have had a full life here between singing contemporary and early music. You can hear my singing on youtube from my site: www.janetpape.weebly.com . I was soloist at the American Cathedral in Paris for 16 years and Eglise d'Auteuil for 10 years and cantorial soloist and choir director for the High Holy Days in Ann Arbor and Flint, Michigan, Orlando and Vero Beach, Florida, Denver and Morrison, Colorado, Hewlett, New York and Paris, France. I also directed church choirs in Michigan for ten years.
I have participated in the recording of several discs, notably, “Electro-acoustic Chamber Works by Gerard Pape” (Mode), “Robert Noehrens Premieres” (Delos), “Humana” (Columbia) and “George Cacciopo- Advance of the Fungi” (Mode).
I now do lots of hiking on the weekends and have always been an avid cyclist and supporter of bicycling as a mode of transport.