A native of San Jose, Jeannine Dennis began flute studies at the age of 9 studying initially with a dear friend and teacher, Belle Miller. Later, she became a student of Ina Mae Holt, a student of Julius Baker. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from San Jose State University, where she studied with Isabelle Chapuis, a student of Jean-Pierre Rampal.
She received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Cincinnati, College‐Conservatory of Music, where she studied flute with Bradley Garner, a student of Julius Baker, and piccolo with Jack Wellbaum. As the winner of the school's prestigious Concerto Competition in 1997, she performed Lowell Liebermann's Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra Op. 50 with the concert orchestra the following season. She has participated in master classes of Julius Baker, Jill Felber, Randy Bowman, and Samuel Sanders. As a member of the Ensemble for Eighteenth Century Music, Dr. Dennis was an artist in residence at the Lucca Opera Festival in Lucca, Italy.
Besides frequent appearances in recitals as a soloist, she has been a member of orchestras including the Northern Kentucky Symphony and the Master Sinfonia in California. Her broad repertoire encompasses a substantial amount of solo and ensemble literature ranging from baroque to contemporary styles. She has recorded and performed the works of Lowell Liebermann, including his Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra Op. 50, Sonata for Flute and Piano Op. 23, and Soliloquy Op. 44. Maestro Liebermann has commented on her performances with such superlatives as "wonderful!" and "bravo!"
Her solo recordings include American Souvenir (Released January 2005; Albany Records) and Music for Flute and Piano (Eroica JDT3052) with pianist Philip Amalong. Of Music for Flute and Piano, Mark Lehman writes in American Record Guide (January/February 2004); "Flutist Jeannine Dennis and her accompanist Philip Amalong display an ideal partnership; they play with assurance, intelligence, and complete sympathy with the music. The recording is clear, strong, and immediate."
Her ensemble recordings include: William Grant Still, with the Cincinnati Philharmonia Orchestra, Centaur Records; Dimitri Ashkenazy, Clarinet, with the Cincinnati Philharmonia Orchestra, Pan Classics; The Haydn Symphonies with the Ensemble for Eighteenth Century Music, Centaur Records; Boccherini Symphonies, numbers 6, 8, and 26, and The Bach Boys, sinfonias by sons of Johann Sebastian Bach with the Ensemble for Eighteenth Century Music, Klavier Records International.
Dr. Dennis has produced master class events in the California Bay Area and in the Central Valley for such artists as Jill Felber, Randolph Bowman (Principal flute, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra), and Robert Stallman. She also helped to produce the Cincinnati Flute Symposium from 1995-2002.
Dr. Dennis performs frequently in ensembles and solo recitals, and maintains an active private flute studio. She is a member of the San Francisco Wind Ensemble, principal flutist of the Townsend Opera Orchestra, and teaches flute at California State University, Stanislaus.
