Jeannine/Jahneen Otis is a performer/recording artist, music director, author, and teaching artist. She is the Director of Music at the historic St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, using that platform to produce concerts, service events, present emerging artists, and to continue to explore ways to build community. Jeannine has collaborated with many pioneers of social justice and arts in spirituality such as Pete Seeger and composer/writer Elizabeth Swados, many jazz greats including Grover Washington Jr, Vishnu Wood, and Heikki Sarmanto, Composer laureate of Finland. As a performer, Anthony Tomassini, critic for the NY Times, called her a ‘showstopper’ in her role as Ella Worker in The Cradle Will Rock. As a recording artist she has two gold records and can be found on compilations with a diverse group of artists, such as Antonio Carlos Jobim (RAINY NIGHT JAZZ), Josephine Baker (LOVING JAZZ), and most recently (April 2024 ) SISTER FUNK (#70), which includes Tina Turner and others for the Numero Group recording company.

She has a BA with honors from Wellesley College and an MA from Emerson College where she was a teaching fellow. She has taught at NYU, Emerson, and Marymount. She loves being a teaching artist in various settings and is committed to art that builds community. For over three decades, Jeannine has been active with UTA. www.jeannineotis.com