Jen was 7 years old the first time she heard a cello and it was love at first sound... even at that young age, she knew Cello (with a capital "C") was exactly what she wanted to do. 5 years (and lots of reminding her parents of that fact) later, she finally had a cello placed in her hands. In 1989, after just two years of study, she was accepted by audition to join the Cincinnati Youth Symphony Orchestra and began studies with the late Jack Kirstein, the founding cellist of the LaSalle String Quartet- becoming one of his last students. She continued her studies with Laura McClellan, who was then a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In 1991 she joined the Starling Chamber Orchestra with whom she toured Germany and perfomed at the opening concert of the Aspen Music Festival in 1992 and 1993. At age 17 she made her solo debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and went on to further her musical studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. While earning her Bachelor's Degree in Cello Perfomance, she studied with Yehuda Hanani and Lee Fiser, as well as playing in master classes with Janos Starker, Paul Katz and the Tokyo String Quartet. She was a member of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra from 1993-1999 and she continues to actively perform with local groups. Her summers have been spent studying and performing at the Kinhaven Music School with Wayne Foster Smith and at the Aspen Music Festival.
Jen is in two bands and a string quartet, and performs regularly in the Cincinnati area with a variety of local musicians, doing a lot of crossover work as well as classical. She plays in a duo called The Lines and Spaces with singer/songwriter/pianist Sharon Udoh, with whom she has released an EP.
On the classical side, Jen is preparing Tchaikovsky's beautifully virtuosic Rococco Variations for Cello and Orchestra, to be performed with the Seven Hills Sinfonietta in June, 2008
Hippo Birdie two ewes Hippo birdie two ewes hippo birdie hippo birdie hippo birdie two ewes and Mandy Moore!!! love, connie and Vince HAVE A GREAT BIRTHDAY
