Jenny Mann will be joining the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MSO) as executive director in January 2022 after the retirement of Michael Beattie. Mann is coming from seven years as the executive director of the Tuscaloosa Symphony where she also has been the principal bassoonist since 2006.
Mann was born in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and moved to Austin at the age of 10. She completed all of her education from that point forward in Texas, receiving her bachelor’s degree in music education from Baylor. She then earned her master’s degree in music and her doctorate in music performance from the University of Texas at Austin.
Upon completing her education, she began a freelance career and was an educator in public schools before going to the University of Alabama to teach bassoon and chamber music. During her time as executive director of the symphony, she taught fundraising and music management. She also was the area coordinator for the arts administration degree program.
An educator for many years, she told her students she spent so much time teaching them how to get jobs and now she is finding great fulfillment in creating the jobs that they will get after college.
When did music become a passion of yours?
“I actually was recruited to be in the band when I was in the sixth grade. Texas band is big business. They gave me aptitude tests and looked at my grades and family support and really recruited me heavily to play either the oboe or bassoon. I really wanted to play the flute, but they told me that was not an option. I was really inspired by the band director that was recruiting me. She was a wonderful human being and so full of energy and life, and I wanted to be like her. She played the bassoon so that is how I ended up choosing that instrument.
“From there, I just really loved creating music together. The collective experience was infectious for me, and I stayed with it. When I graduated high school, I was really going to go into journalism and I wanted to be a broadcast journalist. For some reason, I could not apply for school and then I realized I really just didn’t want to leave music. So I went the music education route, and the rest is history.”
What drew you to the MSO executive director job?
“I love being in the South. I really enjoy this part of the country. When I was called by the recruiting consultant for the position, he started telling me about the organization. Of course, I was aware of the Mississippi Symphony, the great performances they were putting on, and I knew many of the musicians. But as I learned more about the things they were doing, the education programs and how they were serving the state, I thought, wow, this is something that really represents both of my passions in that it is creating really high quality music performances but also serving the community through music education. Not every orchestra has that model and that education side. It really interested me to take part in this and see what I can do to make this organization better. It is just such a wonderfully balanced organization -- both artistically and in service to the state. I thought it was a great fit.”
What will your role look like as executive director?
“One of the things I love about this job is that every day will be different. My role is to really be a facilitator and a bridge-builder within the community. It is my job to really understand what people need and enjoy and what people find fulfilling with the artform of classical music and then to find ways to make that happen with the orchestra. That is the overall mission of my job.
“Of course, within that is certainly working with our patrons to connect them with the programs they want to support and feel like they can make a difference, to work with the schools throughout the state to see how we can really improve our educational offerings and serve the students better, and also how to work with our music director craft to create wonderful programs that are inspiring and that people can learn from and enjoy. That is a little bit deeper into what my job will be. It is just a joy, and I’m so excited.”
What are you most looking forward to?
“Right now, the thing I’m most looking forward to is getting to know the community. I have been so impressed by how welcoming everybody is. I’ve been getting these wonderful emails with people reaching out to me saying they want to get together to get to know me and help me get to know the community. When I was in Jackson for my visits, it was such a warm and amazing place, and people are so excited to build something amazing. There is such great energy and I can’t wait to become a part of that.”
What are some goals you have?
“I really want to work with our diversity committee to do a better job of representing more composers and more types of music in our performances. I really want the orchestra, our educational offerings and board of directors to be more representative of the community. I really want people to feel like they belong in the concert hall. That is really important. Classical music can be seen as not for everybody but really it is, and I want to work to create a sense of belonging within the community at our events.”
How do you think you can impact the community?
“I think one of my strengths is connecting people and creating opportunities for collaboration. I think I can really help build some really cool programs and involve a lot more people in what the symphony is doing and involve the symphony in what they’re doing. I think I can really increase the collaboration at all levels.”
Is there anything else you’d like people to know?
“The organization as a whole really wants to be a cutting edge performing arts organization, and I think that is really significant. They really have the energy and are looking forward to imagining what they can be as an orchestra.”
