Musician Rin Tarsy: a Source of Local Pride

Catherine Jandernoa, whose stage name is Rin Tarsy, is a musician. She grew up in Portland. Her parents are Tom and Therese Jandernoa of Portland and they are proud of their daughter.

“The name Rin is an abbreviation of the name Catherine,” said Rin. “And the name Tarsy is the family name of my much-loved great aunt Gloria. I think of her as a superhero and using her name gives me confidence in myself when I step onstage to perform.”

Rin is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who performs in the Folk Americana genre. She says that she has also been influenced by the jazz and by the soul music traditions. As a songwriter, Rin said that “Everything that I write comes from a deep place in my heart. I strive to describe those feelings in music and in lyrics that appeal to other people in a universal way.”

Rin said that her music taps into her passion for being “alive.”

“It represents personal reflection on life, on lightheartedness, and on passion,” she said.

Rin has been touring the Midwest since 2018 and is now expanding her reach to Los Angeles and to Colorado. Rin is thirty-four years of age and is mostly self-taught. She learned guitar in order to accompany herself singing.

“I am presently investing much of my time honing my guitar skills,” she said.

One of the highlights of Rin’s travels has been that of meeting fellow musician Clark Beckham, who was runner-up in the American Idol competition several years ago.

“I met Clark backstage before his concert,” said Rin. “We sang together and he invited me to sing a duet with him onstage during the concert. It was a fantastic experience,” she said.

Rin is currently inspired by the music of John Mayer, of Nora Jones, and of Adele.

“Their music spurs me to pursue excellence in my own way and to dig deeper in my heart as I write my own music,” she said. “Listening to these artists has taught me me that a good songwriter is someone who pays attention to detail and to nuance in their own life.”

Rin has a concert coming up on September 21 at the Sparta (Michigan) Apple Fest. She will also be singing at a fund-raiser in Grand Rapids on October 5 at A.K Rikks. There she will help raise money for families that are struggling with breast cancer. Rin will be releasing a new music album called “The Only Way” in November and she will have some concert dates in Michigan at that time.

“Music helps us find ourselves,” said Rin. “It brings us back to our own humanity and it can help us to feel connected to other people when we are alone. Music is healing in itself and it can be our closest friend in our darkest moments.”

Rin can be contacted at rintarsy@gmail.com.

Learn more about her and about her music at her internet site rintarsy.com.

To give Rin a listen, go to music streaming services such as Spotify, iTunes, or Apple Music.

Music CDs and digital downloads of her music are available at her internet site.