Jennifer Merkowitz

Jennifer Bernard Merkowitz is Professor of Music at Otterbein, where she is Head of Theory and Composition. She also teaches aural skills and electronic music. 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.

Dr. Merkowitz 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 National Flute Association Convention, the International Computer Music Conference, and the 60X60 Athena Mix (2011). Recent commissions include And The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon for percussionist Joseph Van Hassel, which was recently released on Soundset Recordings; Brothers and Sisters for Otterbein University’s Concert Choir; and Les Crapauds de la Fontaine (The Toads from the Fountain) for the Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival. She is a member of BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), SCI (Society of Composers, Inc.), SEAMUS (Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the US), and Women in Music-Columbus. You can listen to more of her music at https://soundcloud.com/jennymerkowitz.

A native of the Niagara Falls, NY area, Dr. Merkowitz has previously taught at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. She lives in Westerville with her husband and two sons.