ALL ABOUT JILLIAN

Past. Present. Future.

Jillian Flexner is a composer, new music activist, and bassoonist. She graduated from Smith College in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in music. She has studied composition with Don Wheelock and Eric Wubbels, and is currently studying under Whitney George and Adam Cuthbert. In 2013, Jillian co-founded the Fresh Squeezed Opera Company, a group dedicated to presenting new operas. She was lauded for her work as a non-profit entrepreneur at the Laurence M. Field Center for Entrepreneurship Women Entrepreneurs Conference in 2015. Jillian received her Master’s in Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in 2016, and now works in Development with the Rubin Museum of Himalayan and Buddhist Art. In 2018, she was selected to join the American Express Women Leaders in Music Academy. Jillian’s music has been performed by many ensembles, including the Fresh Squeezed Opera Company, Whole Tone Opera, the Rhythm Method, Hypercube, Opera Elect, Unheard-of//Ensemble, and the Metropolis Ensemble. Additionally, she is an ardent cat lover, a presidential history buff, and knows a surprising amount about sharks - like, not a huge amount, but much more than you would expect. The bull shark, for instance, has been known to swim up to 700 miles up the Mississippi. I mean, if she's really honest, I guess it makes sense, as she was 9th in the nation at Ocean Science Bowl when she was in 10th grade, which has never really been relevant in her professional career. Except for ice-breakers. Anyway, Jillian apologizes for the lengthy bio and hopes no one actually reads it.