Jen Allen is a pianist, composer and author. She frequently performs in New York, the Northeast US and in venues throughout the world, as the leader of her own groups or as a member of other creative music ensembles. Notable appearances include the Winnipeg Jazz Festival, Cambridge Festival of the Arts, Litchfield Jazz Festival, Greater Hartford Monday Night Jazz Series and Wexford Performing Arts Centre. In 2011, Allen was chosen as one of only eight pianists from around the world to participate in the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Workshop at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Her first book was published through Alfred’s Publishing called Sitting In: Jazz Piano (co-authored with pianist, Noah Baerman). The book was the recipient of Music Inc. Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award 2015.
Allen has received degrees in performance and composition from The Hartt School and UMASS Amherst. She has taught at multiple schools, universities, festivals and camps including the Litchfield Jazz Camp, The Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, University of Hartford and Trinity College.
Allen composes music for big bands, studio orchestras, string quartet and other smaller ensembles. She is presently a member of the prestigious BMI Jazz Composers Workshop in New York City. An active recording artist, Allen is featured on the new release of the innovative, collaboratively led Trio 149 (with Noah Baerman and Jonathan Blake) and in 2019 will release her next album as a leader with her quartet. She has been a recurring visiting faculty member at Bennington each fall term since 2019. She is Artist Associate in Jazz Piano at Williams College.
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