Meet Cassandra Venaglia | Contemporary Vocalist and Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cassandra Venaglia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cassandra, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’ve rarely made conventional choices in my career; I’ve always been a proponent of jumping without a net. There is a relentless drive for ambition and risk inside of me. In fact, I thrive off the unknown, discovering something new, especially in my practice as an artist. I’ve been described as brave and courageous by colleagues and friends.

When I was in my early 20s, I traveled throughout Europe, alone for new music festivals, staying in dicey hostels, eating peanut butter out of my suitcase, and I’ve also just created some really “out there” works, works that cross multiple mediums, works that may never gain mainstream popularity or attention by the likes of the New York or LA Times or other mainstream institutions.

I think in my case, the artist and the person are not separate and could never be. I see thrilling opportunities to travel or create and perhaps and I motivated by newness, unafraid of it. John Cage, one of my favorite renaissance artists of the 20th century was quite a maverick for his day, felt a similar sentiment about risk which I consider involving some type of unknown, new element: “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work is a marriage of soundscape, ethereal glimmers, evocative emotional tapestries, performance art and spoken word. I truly believe there is “nothing new under the sun,” but I do know that each voice is unique because each person is different. I’m not sure I know a whole lot of other composer-performers who are adding performance art as part of their musical compositions, but I do know I am and it creates this interesting, inviting and memorable experience for the audience.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Favorite Spots in the city- I’d take them to Huntington State Beach for a bike ride at sunset, I’d taken them to Stories in Echo Park and perhaps a ride on that ole swan on the lake nearby. I’d also take them to Santiago Oaks Canyon for a walk on the trail and to the fruit stand afterwards for fresh, organic farmed fruit. Then perhaps another day, we’d go to LAPHIL to catch the latest Umbrella Group series concert.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate this to shoutout to the barrage of mentors and teachers who have encouraged and written letters over the years so that I would be able to financially support myself along with participating in festivals. For my most recent projects, I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my dear friend, producer, and fellow composer Dante Luna for helping produce my newest album in 4 years, “Anxiety Manifesto.” He has dedicated a lot of time and though to helping me make the best work I could. I would also like to shoutout to my recent collaborator, friend and cellist Ashlee Booth for helping me create a new work that is entrancing, beautiful and poetic: “Life Cycle.”

Website: cassandravenaglia.com

Instagram: ethereal_angel_baby

Facebook: Cassandra Venaglia

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsDha8Sx–co2G-IDRwBKLg/featured