Interview with Jennifer Hankin (The Emerald Ruby)
Jennifer Hankin (The Emerald Ruby) is "a multi instrumentalist in the true sense of the term," creating music for flute, voice, ukulele and other sounds influenced by classical, folk, jazz and rock music. She has performed and recorded with many bands and chamber collectives, even gracing the stages of Falls Festival and Great Southern Nights.
Jennifer was named the 2022 Dots and Loops Composer Fellow and was commissioned by ABC Classic to compose and record a collection of flute duets with internationally acclaimed flutist Sally Walker, titled 'Finding Fondness', which premiered at the 2023 Australian Flute Festival.
As well as a multi-instrumentalist, Jennifer is a multidisciplinary artist, using her command of music, fine arts, photography, videography, fashion design, and writing to explore and share her experiences of late-diagnosed neurodivergence. She has built a creatively diverse and fulfilling career 'outside the box' and serves as a great inspiration for flutists and artists of all backgrounds and experiences.
(Photo credit: Jennifer Hankin)
Emma Claire: When did you start playing the flute and what made you choose it?
Jennifer Hankin: When I was five, my parents owned a copy of Michael Flatley's “Lord of the Dance”. Saying I loved this film at that age is an understatement. I loved the dancing, I loved the costumes, but the thing that spoke most deeply to me was the Music, particularly the “very beautiful vaguely flute-shaped object” which I now know to be a tin whistle. I proceeded to beg my mum for five years to start flute lessons because I was so moved by the instrument. When I did finally get to flute at 10, the minute I held it in my hands and made a sound I knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life.
EC: What do you love most about the flute?
JH: I play a lot of instruments, but none of them have quite captured my musical voice like the flute. There’s something so ancient about the mechanics of sound production, even on a modern Boehm system Flute with all of our fancy engineered key-work. On my best days, I am struck by how smooth and easy a crystal sound is to achieve. I've never experienced this on another instrument, although I wouldn't be surprised to hear from other instrumentalists that they have similar experiences on their instrument.
EC: Have you had formal training on the flute through a conservatorium or university?
JH: I have - Before university, I completed my AMEB exams up to A.Mus, and a diploma of performance through the Central Coast Conservatorium and took Music 2 and Extension Music in the HSC. I completed my Bachelor of Music double major in flute and composition through the University of Newcastle under the tutelage of Sally Walker (flute), Colin Spiers (composition) and sought extra compositional training from Phillip Rutherford during my Honours year.
EC: How important do you think formal study is for a career in music?
JH: Considering the diversity of genre and cultural differences within the Australian music industry, every year I work in the space, this becomes a more complex question.
Reflecting on my own formal study experiences, they were absolutely necessary. I acquired levels of musicianship during my degree that I don't think I have been able to achieve otherwise. Saying this, there is much more to a music career than performing.
After my degree, I took an extended break from classical music as I did not have access to the money required to study or audition overseas. I found myself instead learning the language of Jazz, and building my profile as a performing member of and session musician for folk and rock bands. In these more contemporary music spaces, where I wasn't reading music or conceptualising performance within the culture I was taught, my degree was seen as unnecessary.
Re-entering the classical music world as a composer/performer, because of my age and distance from completing my degree, I’ve found myself competing for “mid-career” opportunities with an art music portfolio the size of an “early career” musician. In this setting, a bachelor of music is the absolute minimum. The combination of my portfolio and qualifications is often not enough to compete for these “mid-career” opportunities.
Another consideration to make is how one intends to pay the bills. Personally, I decided to teach flute to tiny humans. All of the Flute teaching jobs I've ever held have required a bachelor of music.
Ultimately, it depends on the person and the context of their career goals and finances.
EC: You have recently released your project ‘Finding Fondness,’ an album composed and recorded by you and featuring your previous teacher and mentor, Sally Walker. What was it like swapping from a student hat to a colleague and project leader?
JH: Taking on a leadership role in this collaboration with Sally came fairly easily, I think because during my time studying with her, she enthusiastically created a study environment where I got to practice those skills.
As a student, Sally created a safe space for me to discover my artistic voice and develop my own set of musical problem-solving skills. The way she facilitated her role in my education was also fluid, taking on a more traditional “teacher” role at the start of my degree, and transitioning to an “artistic and technical consultant” by my honours year.
Sally’s willingness to take on whatever role that’s needed to get the project done made my job as project leader quite natural. In the context of Finding Fondness, the role Sally adopted was collaboratively shaping our shared interpretation of the work, acting as a cheerleader if I dipped into impostor syndrome, and very occasionally pointing out a typo in what was “supposed” to be the “final, Final, FINAL” version.
EC: You have collaborated with many artists across different musical genres and artistic mediums. What is it about collaboration that you enjoy so much?
JH: There is an intensely strong and singular motivator that drives not just my music-making, but my entire multidisciplinary arts practice. I want to play more flute and will do whatever it takes to ensure I get to play as much flute as possible.
Collaborating with other musicians has made my life so full. Because of the collaborations I've done, I've developed incredible friendships, learned and mastered new (to me) musical languages, made records, played every inch of the Australian East Coast and did all of this with a flute in my hand.
EC: Since your late diagnoses of autism and ADHD, you have been an advocate for your own mental health and bringing more visibility to communities facing the inequalities of systemic ableism. In what way do you think music-making is such an effective vessel for sharing this message?
JH: I think music creates a safe space to consider and digest hard messages. Making music for an audience is an act of sharing. When a message is shared openly and without judgement or expectation it's much easier to hear. I feel that's what I've achieved with Finding Fondness, I'm sharing some intense messages that can be hard to hear, but the medium of flute duet allows me to do that openly without judgement or expectation.
EC: As well as being a flutist, you are also a visual artist, composer, teacher, fashion designer, multi-instrumentalist, and collaborator. How do you find these different facets of creative arts feed into your flute playing?
JH: Many of the creative skills I have learned outside of flute playing have been out of financial necessity. Whenever I ponder a question like this, I think back to the first time I took professional quality artist photos. At the time, I couldn't afford to pay somebody to take them for me, but I did have access to a camera so I figured it out. I did the same thing with video, and more recently audio production.
I found the beginning stages of navigating what I now understand to be “mid-career” involve a level of personal branding I cannot pay for, but I do have the time and Drive to learn the skill well enough so I can appear at a competitive level of polish.
EC: What has been the most memorable experience in your career?
JH: I used to play in a band called “The Button Collective”, which was a folk band based in the town of Lismore in the Northern Rivers. I truly believe Lismore and the Northern Rivers Region is the true centre of Australian music; the community there have a hunger for music-making and participation I've not experienced anywhere else. Anyway, because we were a staple of the Lismore music community, we got booked for performances that look pretty incredible on a resume.
Of all the shows we played, the most memorable performance was one particular year we played Falls Festival (a major Australian music festival celebrating contemporary music). We were booked to play the sideshow area and had a pretty intense daily schedule with 2 to 3 performances per day. The first day we were there we held the latest music timeslot, meaning if you were awake and looking for something to dance to, you were coming to us.
At this point, I’d been told by a significant number of “industry Professionals” that people who existed outside of the folk music community, particularly those under 25, would never enjoy our music en mass. But here we were, playing the smallest stage with a moshpit of 18 to 21-year-olds sardined together and enthusiastically dancing to music “experts” said they shouldn't enjoy.
EC: What advice do you have for someone wanting to pursue a career in music?
JH: I'd like to share advice specifically for musicians from marginalised backgrounds, particularly those who may have grown up in low-income and/or regional areas. Understanding how to navigate grants, fellowships, scholarships and other funding sources is integral to growing a financially stable music career. When you come from a marginalised background, happening upon these opportunities is 10 times harder.
To compete for these opportunities you need a well-written bio, great artist photos and a good quality audio and video recording of you playing live. As a low estimate, you'll need $1000 to acquire the photos, audio and video recordings. It's a lot of money, especially when you don't have much, but in my experience, making this investment early and working with established professionals is a worthwhile long-term investment.
Many of his career growth opportunities also expect evidence of business skills and long-term business planning. While you're growing your career, developing business skills is just as important as perfecting your musicality and technique. I can't speak for other states, but in New South Wales you can access free business mentoring through Service NSW Business Connect.