Jennifer Rhodes, violin
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Known for her collaborative style and versatility, violinist Jennifer Rhodes has performed professionally throughout the country with orchestras such as the Tucson, New World, and New Mexico Symphonies as well as Utah Festival Opera Company, where she was a featured soloist, and Santa Fe New Music. As a founding artist for Salonnières, she performs themed, salon-style concerts throughout the Phoenix area. She served for twelve years as concertmaster for Millennial Choirs and Orchestras, where she frequently soloed, recorded, and participated in chamber music concerts. She has made recent appearances as guest concertmaster with the Chandler Symphony and was a principal player of the Chautauqua Music School Orchestra.
As a composer, much of the music Jennie creates is for chamber ensembles or string student performance, and her catalog includes both secular and sacred work. She is a 2023 recipient of the Arizona Commission for the Arts – Artist Research and Development Grant, which funded the creation of Southwest Express, a programmatic piece for string orchestra and 2 actors. Two of her original pieces for student string players, The Banshee and The Kappa, have been selected for the Texas Prescribed Music List. Several of her pieces have been professionally recorded by Salonnières, including her arrangement of “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” which was featured on UK-based Classical Crossover Magazine’s virtual concert series, and “His Voice as the Sound of the Dulcimer Sweet,” which was performed in Europe for the first time as part of the Interharmony International Music Fest in Italy. Ms. Rhodes’ enthusiasm for chamber music began with the formation of her first string quartet at the age of 12. Her participation as a teenager in a unique series of residency programs with internationally acclaimed ensembles such as the Ying, American, and Miami String Quartets became the catalyst to her decision to pursue music professionally. Some of her favorite projects include a performance of Aaron Jay Kernis’ String Quartet No. 2, premiering three tangos composed for her by three different friends, and a series of concerts with the Voyager Trio (violin, clarinet, and piano) exploring music of the WWI era. Ms. Rhodes’ years at University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, MI led to her development as an arts administrator alongside her musical career. She also worked for such organizations as Spoleto Festival USA, the National Institute for Education and the Arts, and Rocky Ridge Music Center, covering ground in programming, education and outreach, production, editing, graphic design, marketing, licensing, and management. As a student at the University of Michigan, she completed a rotation-style internship through the university’s performing arts departments and served as the student representative on the university's arts grant selection committee, awarding funds to student-run arts organizations. Ms. Rhodes completed her MM at Rice University and her BM at the University of Michigan, graduating summa cum laude from both schools, and performing with the Ann Arbor, Flint, and Huntsville Symphonies while a student. Her primary teachers include Kenneth Goldsmith, Kathryn Votapek, Aaron Berofsky, Marjorie Bagley, Ted Ashton, and Janice McAllister. Her principal chamber coaches include Cho-Liang Lang, Lynn Harrell, Martin Katz, Norman Fischer, Andrew Jennings, James Dunham, and Yehonatan Berick. Prior to college, Ms. Rhodes won first prize in her state American String Teachers Association competition and sat concertmaster for her All-State Orchestra. Jennifer lives in Gilbert, AZ with her husband Matthew and their four children. You can visit her website at jennierhodesmusic.com. |
