Jenny successfully completed a PhD in composition at the University of Sheffield in July 2009, under the supervision of George Nicholson, following an exploration into the relationship between notational possibilities and the resulting performance of the music. She gained her B.A.(Hons) in music at Bath College of Higher Education in 1992 before going to Bretton Hall in Leeds the following year, successfully completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

Jenny has written for a variety of genres and instrumental/vocal combinations. Recent work includes Self Portrait (2009) for twelve-piece ensemble including strings, woodwind, percussion, piano, harp, guitar and mandolin. This colourful work was inspired by a long-term interest in portraiture in the visual arts and, more recently, the work of David Hockney – in particular his self portraits and was written during her participation on the HCMF (Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival) & Nieuw Ensemble Yorkshire Composers’ Professional Development Programme in 2009. Self Portrait was performed by the Nieuw Ensemble at HCMF on 23rd November 2009 and was selected for an additional performance at the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in Amsterdam on 19th November 2009.

Jenny has produced a number of pieces in which she has explored monochromatic soundworlds such as Fluxus Boxes (2007) for clarinet trio & flexible wind orchestra, and to break a young horse... (2007) for string quartet & string orchestra. Hot Flush (2006) for string quartet, and Nine Moving Pictures (2007) for piano & string trio employ more traditional instrumental combinations but are more concerned with timbre so the instruments are not used in the traditional roles as in the standard repertoire. In other pieces Jenny has sought to incorporate extra-musical and dramatic gestures such as Isti Mirant Stella (2004) for mixed ensemble. This was extended further in Melodrama (2004) for flexible ensemble, in which the performers adopt character roles.

A long-term interest in the visual and dramatic arts has influenced much of Jenny's work. In 2007 she was selected to participate on the Jerwood Opera Writing Programme, based at the Britten Pears School in Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh where she collaborated with Marcy Kahan - a comic script-writer - and wrote Mimi on ze Bridge. Prior to this, Jenny wrote her first piece of staged music theatre, The Rape of the Lock (2006), which is an adaptation of Alexander Pope’s mock-heroic poem and follows in the tradition of music theatre works by Stravinsky, Birtwistle and Maxwell Davies, which explores the theatricality of musical performance within a narrative, with the added elements of staging, lighting and costume.

Jenny is currently collaborating with the artist Keith Hayman and sound artist Foster towards the creation of an installation entitled City States at X-Church, Gainsborough, Lincs, in September 2010.

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