Jennifer Sternick is an ambitious individual with a passion for learning and transforming. A violinist and violist, Jennifer performs professionally as a soloist and as a member of symphony orchestras, pit orchestras, chamber ensembles, and new music ensembles. Routinely holding leadership positions, Jennifer has been the Concertmaster of Berks Sinfonietta since its inception in 2014, has held the Concertmaster chair of the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra from 2012 until 2017, and was most recently appointed Concertmaster of the Washington Symphony Orchestra in 2019.
Jennifer’s passion for new music is evidenced in her role as founder, President, and violinist of Kamratōn, a non-profit chamber music organization dedicated to women in new music, the arts, and in business. She enjoys working with living composers, musicians, dancers, and other artists to design and realize concerts that make new music more accessible to the audience. In May 2019, Kamratōn premiered the opera, Her Holiness, The Winter Dog, in which all musicians, in addition to their instrument responsibilities, supported acting roles on stage.
Originally from the outskirts of Mohnton, Pennsylvania, Jennifer grew up studying violin with Barbara Lanza. She then earned her bachelors in music and philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, summa cum laude, where she studied with Roger Zahab. Post-University, she studied with Huei-Sheng Kao of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Jennifer is the recipient of the Mildred Miller Posvar Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Music and the Alfred D’Auberge Award for Excellence in Music Performance. When Jennifer is not making music, she is an avid cyclist, runner, and rock climber.