Biography

Cellist Jennifer Carpenter is known for her versatility across a broad range of musical styles and ensembles. Carpenter holds faculty positions at University of Arkansas and Point Counterpoint, and performs with Fort Smith Symphony. Highlights of her 2024-2025 season include visits as a guest artist at Illinois State University and Colgate University, and solo and chamber music performances at the Nazareth University Women in Music Festival, the Eastman at Washington Square concert series, and the Friends of Vienna chamber music series. Her experiences as an orchestral musician include seven seasons as a member of Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and appearances with Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and Finger Lakes Opera.

Carpenter is committed to bringing to light the works of underappreciated composers, both historical and living. Her presentation “Exploring the Fusion of Cultures in Contemporary Classical Cello Music” at the 2025 ARTs + Change conference and her doctoral lecture recital "Synthesis of Western-Contemporary and Chinese-Traditional Musical Features in Solo Cello Works" reflected her deep interest in blending musical traditions and her commitment to celebrating living composers. In her dedication to fostering an inclusive musical landscape, she and a team of colleagues recently published Resonance: A Multicultural Cello Method: Book 1, which pioneers a graded teaching approach celebrating the diverse cultural influences that have shaped American music over the centuries.

Carpenter's impact extends beyond the stage as a dedicated educator at University of Arkansas and Point Counterpoint. She has held teaching positions at University of Rochester, Nazareth College, Eastman Community Music School, The Hochstein School, Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Eastman Cello Institute, ROCmusic, Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra, Kneisel Hall Program for Maine Students, and Wyoming Seminary Performing Arts Institute.

Carpenter holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory. In her spare time, she enjoys transcribing and arranging music. Her latest transcriptions include three works by Lili Boulanger (click here).