Jillian Flexner

All About Jillian

Past. Present. Future.

Jillian Flexner is a composer, new music activist, and bassoonist. Originally from North Carolina, Jillian grew up around a diverse culture of music. She graduated from Smith College in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in music. She has studied composition with Don Wheelock, Eric Wubbels and is currently studying under Whitney George and Adam Cuthbert. In 2013, Jillian co-founded the Fresh Squeezed Opera Company, a group dedicated to presenting new operas. She was lauded for her work as a non-profit entrepreneur at the Laurence M. Field Center for Entrepreneurship Women Entrepreneurs Conference in 2015. Jillian received her Master’s in Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in 2016, and now works in Development with the Rubin Museum of Himalayan and Buddhist Art. In 2018, she was selected to join the American Express Women Leaders in Music Academy. Jillian’s music has been presented all over the United States and has been performed by many ensembles, including the Fresh Squeezed Opera Company, Whole Tone Opera, the Rhythm Method, Hypecube, Reed & Word, Opera Elect, and the Smith College Contemporary Ensemble. Her first opera, La Zombiata, received critical acclaim and has been received several remountings. Her second opera, Self Defined Circuits, Jillian’s first foray into electronics, which will receive its premiere in June 2021 with the Fresh Squeezed Opera Company. She has received commissions from Opera Elect, the Fresh Squeezed Opera Company, and the Lake George Composition Institute.