Photo by Peter Jay
Praised for her “impressively passionate performances” (The Strad) and “ceaseless musicianship” (BBC Music Magazine), cellist Jennifer Kloetzel has performed as soloist and chamber musician at Lincoln Center, the Ravinia Festival and San Francisco Performances. Her international credits include Harpa Concert Hall (Reykjavik), Izumi Hall (Osaka) and the Eroica-Saal (Vienna). Jennifer’s engaging programs offer audiences a surprising mix of repertoire by Shostakovich, Mel Bonis, Frank Bridge, John Williams, and Philippe Hersant. She has premiered over 80 solo and chamber works, including 5 concerti written specifically for her.
Fascinated with performance projects that create community, Jennifer’s Mission:Bach—The Road to Inspiration tour will include concerts at all 21 California Missions, performing the Bach Cello Suites and commissioned companion pieces. These concerts with conversation will explore local history and musical connections across centuries. Her Inspired By America project brought a multi-media collaboration to large concert halls, exploring what it means to be an American through live chamber music combined with film.
Jennifer’s “Beethoven: The Conquering Hero,” (the complete works for cello and piano with Robert Koenig), was chosen as “Recording of the Month” by BBC Music Magazine in March 2022. Other highlights include recording Elena Ruehr’s Cello Concerto “Cloud Atlas” with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, as well as the entire cycle of Beethoven Quartets and Brahms Sextets. Jennifer has been featured regularly in both concerto and chamber performances on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.” Among her 36 CDs, many have been broadcast on radio stations in South Africa, Romania, Brazil, Germany and Australia.
A Fulbright scholar, Jennifer holds two degrees from The Juilliard School, winning the institution’s top award at graduation. A founding member of the Cypress String Quartet, she now performs with QuartetES and Bow & Mallet, a jazz quintet. Jennifer served as Professor and Head of the String and Performance Areas at the University of California Santa Barbara and she regularly offers master classes and workshops along with her mainstage performances.
"Her energy, ceaseless intellectual curiosity and virtuosic command of the instrument unite in exceptional musicianship, making her truly a hero of the cello..."