Jennifer Thiessen is known for creating new music for the viola and viola d’amore through improvisation and collaboration with composers, as well as interpreting historical repertoire for her instruments. She performs, records, and curates extensively in Canadian classical and creative music communities.

Jennifer writes music for viola, voice, and electronics to play solo and in collaboration with her JUNO-nominated duo Toninato & Thiessen with Ida Toninato (The Space Between Us, Dream of Heat), and her duo Park Sounds with percussionist Ben Reimer. Her performances have been presented by send+receive, Prairie Wires, GroundSwell, No Hay Banda, Innovations en Concert, Ottawa New Music Creators, suddenlyLISTEN, FIMAV, Le Vivier, Cluster Festival, Festival Montréal Baroque, Festival international de musique baroque de Lamèque and Rosamunde Festival. Jennifer has performed and recorded with such groups as the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble SuperMusique, Ensemble Caprice, collectif9, Quatuor Bozzini, and La La La Human Steps.

Based in Montreal for two decades, Jennifer returned to her Manitoba home in 2021. She curated and produced chamber music concerts and recitals as Artistic Director of Virtuosi Concerts from 2021 to 2025. She writes poetry, essays, and articles for a variety of projects and publications. Within a multiplicity of artistic adventures, she is grounded in a passion to create meaningful experiences for herself and her listeners.

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