JENNIFER KESSLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jennifer Kessler is a distinguished leader in the arts and education sectors. As the Executive Director of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Jennifer has steered the organization through a period of growth and innovation, enhancing its reputation as a leading force in contemporary music. She has introduced progressive policies and initiatives that set benchmarks for equity and inclusion, including appointing George Lewis as Artistic Director, expanding ICE's board, adding childcare reimbursement policies for musicians, introducing field-wide knowledge-sharing through New Music Town Halls, and launching an assessment of the organization’s equity practices through a study with Columbia University MBA graduate students. Jennifer has documented her multi-angled strategy in the Swiss publication “On Curating.” She has orchestrated a 67% increase in fundraising: in her first year, Jennifer secured the largest grant the organization has ever received from the Mellon Foundation, and since 2020, has brought in new or increased funding from the Howard Gilman Foundation, Harvard University’s Fromm Foundation, the Siemens Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, the Swiss foundation Pro Helvetia, and many others. Under her leadership, ICE saw new or revived artistic and education partnerships with Chelsea Factory, Miller Theatre, Skirball, Carnegie Hall, and Roulette in New York City; the European festivals MaerzMusik, Darmstadt, and the International Young Composers Academy in Ticino; the New School’s College of Performing Arts; and realized Perle Noire at the Dutch National Opera with Julia Bullock and Tyshawn Sorey. Amidst challenges like COVID-19, her strategic innovations ensured ICE's resilience.

Previously, as Executive Director at Willie Mae Rock Camp, Jennifer bolstered revenue by 45% and secured partnerships with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and Novo Foundation. At Orchestra of St. Luke's, Jennifer redesigned the education department and created the impactful Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Hell's Kitchen, serving 100 children through daily music lessons. In her roles with esteemed organizations including Carnegie Hall, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, and the League of American Orchestras, Jennifer supported hundreds of artists in transformative arts, education, and professional development programming. Jennifer has also overseen the Getty Education and Community Investment Grants as well as participated on multiple peer-review grant panels, and is an Advisory Council member of Canvas, a Jewish arts and culture philanthropy.

As an educator, Jennifer designs and leads courses on arts entrepreneurship and nonprofit management at The New School's College of Performing Arts and SUNY New Paltz's Business School. Jennifer started her career as a French horn player, living and performing in Berlin with ensembles including the Berlin Philharmonic, Ensemble Modern, and the Israeli Opera Orchestra. She holds degrees in music performance from Northwestern University in Illinois, and the Hanns Eisler Musikhochschule in Berlin, and post-graduate certificates in nonprofit management through the selective El Sistema Fellows program at the New England Conservatory of Music. 

Jennifer is an avid arts event-goer, with a deep knowledge of the jazz, contemporary classical, and classical music scenes. She is also a certified yoga instructor, and occasionally performs electropop and rock under the alias Gina Fur. Jennifer lives in Brooklyn with her jazz bassist husband, their daughter, and two guinea pigs.