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Biography
Jennifer began
singing at the age of five and was performing professionally by her early
teens. During college, she directed youth choirs, sang in several college
and community ensembles, and led arts-based learning programs. She graduated
with honors from Capital University in 1997, earning bachelor's degrees in
both Vocal Music and History/Ethnic Studies.
Through her work with Music in the Air, the King Arts Complex and CircaMusic,
Jennifer has a proven track record in programming, event planning,
marketing, audience development, fundraising, and management. In commercial,
non-profit, and public arenas, she has worked with local, national, and
international performing and visual artists who represent a myriad of genres
and art forms.
In 2005, Jennifer was awarded a University Fellowship at the Ohio State
University to pursue her Master's Degree in Cultural Policy and Arts
Administration. Concurrently, she serves as a public speaker and consultant
for non-profit organizations, commercial enterprises, and artists, while
also regularly contributing to a number of committees, such as the Columbus
Music Awards and the King Arts Complex Gala Committee. All of this intensive
community involvement testifies to Jennifer's dedication to the
stabilization and growth of the entire arts industry, which she supports
directly through lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. and Columbus, OH.
While excelling both academically and behind the scenes, Jennifer continues
to pursue her first love - singing. Persistently developing her talent by
working as a studio musician for local and national commercials and by
playing live with her band, Jennifer has performed at a variety of festivals
and venues throughout the state, such as The Community Festival, First Night
Columbus, Via Colori, Hot Times, The Dandelion Festival, Easton Town Center,
Jericho Road Breakfast, Barcelona, Dick's Den, Little Brothers, Canal
Street, 501 Jazz Bar, Martini's, Casa Nueva, the Stagecoach, Blues Station
and more!.
Artist Statement
As a kid, I wondered why I never collected things like stamps or trading
cards. But now I realize that I have always been a collector of stories,
especially those told through song. As a kid I loved the "old" songs – the
ones my father loved, the ones that were performed by soulful singers on TV
or that I personally selected from piano books. I constantly sang them to
myself and later found out that many of those songs were jazz standards. As
I began to investigate the beauty and integrity of jazz, I fell in love with
greats like Ella, Billie, Frank and Nat, but the idea of becoming a jazz
singer seemed too
intimidating. I felt as if those great singers had taken the art form to its
highest pinnacle, and so I stuck with classical training and let the notion
of performing the songs dissipate.
These days I have changed my tune; I am no longer a passive collector. As a
building block of the American experience and as one of America's greatest
cultural contributions to the world, jazz (and those old songs) cannot be
forgotten. Our American social history is interwoven into jazz, a form that
reflects segregation and integration, hard times and prosperity, heartbreak
and love. The story of jazz is mine and yours to celebrate. Can you imagine
an America that never gave birth to blues and jazz? There would be no
country, no R&B, no rock or neosoul. The output of the entertainment
industry constitutes one of the largest US exports, which means that our
economy would look a lot different without these roots. I bet our race
relations would too.
I am proud of this music, and I hope to breathe life into jazz by finding
new ways to tell the story and by continuing to collect new songs to sing.
My repertoire contains songs of love and sadness, grief and triumph,
resiliency and joy - classic standards, forgotten favorites, and
contemporary tunes that strike me with their poignancy. Whether it's a
swinging blues, a Brazilian bossa, an up-tempo classic or a sultry ballad, I
just hope to do my part in ensuring that the story continues.
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Jen Miller
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