As a child growing up in Front Royal, Virginia, Gina Furtado was surrounded by music. “My mom was a little bit musical,” she says. “She always loved music, and she got me and my siblings started in classical music early – I started playing piano at age five. We were homeschooled, and our main focus was music. We all started with the Suzuki method.”
Gina’s musical direction took a turn when she discovered the banjo at age eleven or twelve. “I started doing fiddler’s conventions, like Galax Old Fiddlers Convention and became a bluegrass superfan. I loved the focus of the conventions – jamming at campsites and competing.”
Soon, Gina and her siblings received invitations to play up and down the eastern seaboard from Virginia to Florida. “I got really serious about banjo and took lessons from Murphy Henry, which was wonderful.” Gina began earning ribbons at fiddlers conventions and building a solid reputation in the regional bluegrass scene.
Gina didn’t plan on becoming a professional musician. “It just sort of happened,” she laughs. “When I was 16 or so, I began playing professionally. I was getting some pretty good-paying gigs. I played with a local group, and we played for parties and weddings, that kind of thing.” She played in several regional bands, including Blue Light Special, New Girls Nite Out, On the Run, and Bud’s Collective. “I decided I was going to buckle down and do this. That’s when I started playing with Chris Jones.”
Gina began contacting people she knew, asking if they might need a banjo player. “I spoke with Jon Weisberger, who played with Chris Jones and the Night Drivers, and as it turned out, they were looking for a banjo player.” Playing with Jones gave Gina international touring exposure.
Her talent has been recognized with awards and media exposure. When Gina’s album True Colors was released in 2017, it debuted at #13 on the Bluegrass Billboard charts, with two number-one songs on the Bluegrass Today charts. In 2017, she was featured on the Banjo Newsletter cover and was nominated for the IBMA Banjo Player of the Year in 2018.
The Gina Furtado Project, the band she fronted as a singer, songwriter, and banjo player, heavily emphasized original, catchy, and relatable material that spanned from bluegrass to gypsy jazz, swing, and beyond. “We still have several tracks recorded that have not yet been released.”
In addition to performing, Gina was a much sought-after teacher for online banjo lessons from her home in Winchester, Virginia, and she taught at many banjo camps. These days, she keeps a full calendar with dog training. “I adopted a basket-case dog that required extensive training. I worked with her, and now she is awesome. I have now started training dogs for other people.” That lifestyle suits her since she has three children. “Traveling is hard to do with a family.”
Gina says she still finds time to write. “It’s important for me to write. Whether it’s journaling, poetry, or songs. The words help make sense of things to me.” While stepping back from music to be with her family, Gina says she hopes to return when the time is right.
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