Meet Gina

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gina. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gina, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

Developing my confidence had a lot to do with being okay with making a lot of mistakes and accepting that it was part of the process to create what I was envisioning in my mind. I think it’s particularly difficult as artists to not tie our self-esteem to the amount we produce and the quality of those things. But in the last few years I’ve been so fortunate to be in spaces that allowed me to fail and try again, providing support for me and teaching me how to make my craft better and how to actually reach the vision in my head.

I think these spaces are incredibly important, and I feel very fortunate not only to have had a plethora of failures to help me learn and figure out how to get to my successes, but also have made me enthusiastic and excited to continue to fail. I feel now that my failures are essential to my process, and without them I don’t create as meaningful music. I also have a lot of friends and supporters who uplift me, so many of whom I admire. It was the beginnings of me suspecting that if so many of these talented artists were seeing something in me that perhaps it would be worth it to try to imagine there was something inside me to see.

A mentor of mine once said “I’m not sure what you intended to do, I’m not inside your head. But what came out was really beautiful.” This was so impactful to me because I realize a lot of our judgements on ourselves is so critical because we had envisioned a perfect execution of something that likely was not perfectly executed. That was the first step of me understanding what was important. I also think as the sample size of my performing and writing music has grown, each individual perfect note weights less, and what is more important to me is the overall statement I’m making. I may stutter or forget a word, I may even have to pause to reset, but I can get my message across and sometimes the stutter or pause makes the statement even more powerful because it’s a live moment. I am after all, an imperfect being creating imperfect art.

I’m still a work in progress. I’m very particular about what I’m writing or playing. I sometimes hone in on such insignificant details and have to stop myself in the process of over thinking. But now I find myself enjoying the process rather than feeling only anxiety. And sometimes still I have to stop myself from allowing a perceived failure from making me question my self-worth. But I continue to remind myself, the art itself can be for my audience, but the process of creating that art is for my enjoyment. I feel so incredibly fortunate that I create art that seems to touch people and I hope to get to do so for many years to come. So it’s a constant purposeful effort to make sure I’m enjoying the process.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My name is Ginita, I’m a trombonist and vocalist, arranger and composer and am the Musical Director for La Orquesta Esa, an NY-based Latin-jazz ensemble.

I have been working in NYC as a Professional side-person for the last 8 years, performing alongside some of NYC’s most prolific musicians in order to help them bring their music to life. This has included playing in bands as an ensemble member, or writing music for other bands, As of 1 year ago I started my own project and have been able to give back to the community that uplifted me and brought me up. I now get a chance to play in peoples bands, and hire them in my own bands, and that has been such an honor and pleasure.

La Orquesta Esa revolves around Latin dances. I write all of our music, as well as direct on stage while singing. My vision for the project is music that centers on dance. We recently recorded an album LIVE at The Jazz Gallery which I will be releasing in the Spring of 2026. We also have a beautiful Spring full of shows to celebrate the album release. My next show is December 13th and it’s free to the public.

If you would like to hear more about the project and listen to our music, come to a show, or support us by engaging with us online be sure to follow me on Instagram (@badeeduh) and join my mailing list found on my website (badeeduh.com)

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think my 3 best qualities are curiosity, persistence, and the desire to connect with people musically and personally. I think those 3 qualities could guarantee you success in any endeavor. It really is that simple,

My advice would be get into the habit of asking questions. Ask your elders for advice, ask your peers. Take lessons to help you round out things you’re learning, try expanding upon your knowledge base in creative ways. We express what we hope to continue doing by what we chose to continue doing. Speaks some things into existence for yourself. Persist in your practice, respect it and keep your mind and body sharp. Any art is like choreography, repetition is key. Share your gifts with the world even when they are not perfect. Seek exploration vs. perfection. Share your knowledge with anyone who wishes to learn, teach and share resources. Listen to each other and share your ideas. Spend time with people who bring you joy, give the joy right back. Go on walks and look at pretty things to inspire you. Eat yummy things and laugh a lot. Don’t take life to seriously but still give it all you’ve got.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I’m looking to put a show together with a dance company/dance team. I’m looking for dancers who are comfortable dancing a range of Latin music like Salsa and Cumbia,

I’m also looking for video makers and film makers who need music for their projects.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photographers: Natalie Peart Peña and Danielle Sopchak

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