Chris Jenkins

Biography

Chris Jenkins is an educator, administrator, and performing violist. In 2017, through a Curriculum Diversification Grant from the American Society for Aesthetics, he published an annotated bibliography of works pertaining to African-American participation in the field of classical music, and he presents on issues of diversity in classical music.  

In 2011, Jenkins earned a master's degree from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, focusing on the study of human rights and conflict resolution. His international engagement has included performances and teaching in Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, China, Colombia, and South Africa, including a performance with the Jordan National Symphony at the World Heritage Site of Petra in 2016. In the summer of 2017, he served as a guest artist and teacher at the Afghan National Institute of Music in Kabul, Afghanistan.

He is pursuing a DMA in viola performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a PhD in Historical Musicology from Case Western Reserve University, where his work focuses on the music of African-American composers. His teachers have included Lynne Ramsey, Michael Tree, Martha Katz, Karen Dreyfus, Karen Ritscher, Michelle LaCourse, and Carol Rodland.