Jennifer Bernard Merkowitz

Jennifer Bernard Merkowitz (b. 1981) is a composer, pianist, and violist whose diverse inspirations have included liturgical chant, basketball games, the growth patterns of plants, and frog calls. Her music has been performed in national and international venues such as the Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference, the National Flute Association Convention, the International Computer Music Conference, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Recent commissions include And The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon for percussionist Joseph Van Hassel, which has been released on Soundset Recordings; Brothers and Sisters for Otterbein University’s Concert Choir; and The Best of Both Worlds for the Ohio Music Teachers Association.

Jenny is Associate Professor of Music at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, where she has taught composition, theory, and electronic music since 2008. She received her MM and DMA in Composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and she holds a BA in Music and a BS in Computer Science from the University of Richmond. A native of the Niagara Falls, NY area, she has also served on the music faculty at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan and had residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is a member of BMI, SCI, SEAMUS, CMS, and Women in Music-Columbus. She lives in Westerville with her husband, David, and two sons, Isaac and Dominic.