Dr. Jenna McLean

Jenna McLean is an accomplished contemporary vocalist and educator specializing in helping singers in the commercial music realm develop a solid technical foundation upon which they can rely for a long and varied career. She has a Doctor of Arts degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Northern Colorado where she completed a dissertation entitled "A Study in Effective Teaching Methods in Jazz Voice Technique in Higher Education". She also completed a secondary emphasis in vocal pedagogy studying under Dr. Melissa Malde. She completed her Master of Music Degree in Jazz Studies at UNC and has a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Wyoming. Jenna is a member of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) and JEN (Jazz Education Network) and is certified in Level I of Somatic Voicework™ with Jeanie LoVetri. 

As a performing artist, Jenna has a penchant for celebrating timeless standards with improvisational prowess, swing and simplicity that feels familiar yet contemporary. Her diversity of skill in many genres contributes to her songwriting style and inspires her to continue investigating ways to honor the jazz tradition and still push forward in time.  

Jenna was a semi-finalist in the 2023 American Traditions Vocal Competition, the 2019 winner of the Downbeat Student Music Awards Graduate Vocal Soloist Category, and a recent recipient of the Pathways to Jazz Grant through which she recorded her album Brighter Day. She has performed at renowned venues nationwide including Dazzle Denver, Nocturne Denver, Black Cat, The 1905, Rudy's Jazz Room, The Jazz Station, and has performed and presented multiple times at the Jazz Education Network conference and the Five Points Jazz Festival in Denver. She has had the pleasure of performing alongside renowned musicians such as Joel Frahm, Pat Coil, Bobby McFerrin, Aubrey Logan and the New York Voices, and also performs regularly with incredible Denver-based jazz musicians such as Annie Booth, Ben Markley, Eric Gunnison, Tom Amend, Dawn Clement, and others.  Her music can be found at http://www.jennamcleanmusic.com .