Director of Community and Learning – Houston Grand Opera
Jennifer Bowman joined Houston Grand Opera (HGO) as Director of Community & Learning after five years as the Director of Music Education at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Bowman leads HGO’s Community & Learning division (formerly HGOCo): which has been celebrated for providing authentic and enriching experiences through collaborative partnerships with schools, families, community organizations, and curious members of society since 2007.
As the Kennedy Center’s Director of Music Education, Bowman developed performances, programming, and educational initiatives in collaboration with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), Washington National Opera (WNO), and the Center’s hip hop, jazz, and chamber music programs. Among her notable achievements, she served as the Center’s lead representative for the Washington Musical Pathways Initiative for young BIPOC artists wishing to pursue advanced study in music; spearheaded WNO’s 18-month community engagement project in support of Blue, an opera about a Harlem family’s experience with police brutality; revamped the Center’s training programs for young musicians; commissioned new works that reflect the population of the region served by the Center; and introduced youth and family audiences to diverse artists making their Center debuts.
The Houston, Texas native’s career began at the Kennedy Center, where she coordinated professional development programs for chief executives and staff for over six hundred arts and cultural organizations in the U.S. and abroad. She also spent six seasons managing The Folger Consort, the early music ensemble at the Folger Shakespeare Library. In 2020, she co-led Music Academy of the West’s transition to an online summer festival in response to the pandemic. She serves on Music Academy’s Innovation & Education Committee as well as on the Board of Directors for the National Instrumentalists Mentorship & Advancement Network (NIMAN).