“When people find their voice, they find their confidence. When that happens collectively, something extraordinary happens.”

Artist | Vocal Composer | Creative Director

Jennifer John is an award-winning Artist, Vocal Composer and Creative Director whose work explores collective voices, participatory performance, and human connection within contemporary culture.

Working across live performance, recording, orchestral collaboration, film, public events, and interdisciplinary artistic development, she creates original work and large-scale participatory experiences that bring together artistic vision, collective expression, cultural engagement, and socially connected live performance.

Her practice explores how polyphony, improvisation, embodiment, and audience participation can function as compositional material within contemporary performance environments.

Alongside her artistic practice, Jennifer works as a vocal and artistic consultant supporting the creative and vocal development of artists working across the contemporary music industry.

She is the founder and Creative Director of Very Vocal, the production house developing collective vocal and participatory performance experiences, and the Creative Director of Sense of Sound, a curated vocal collective.

Current Artistic Direction (DYCP)

Jennifer is currently undertaking a year of artistic development supported by Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice programme.

This period is enabling her to further define her artistic practice, with an increasing focus on collective voices, participation, cultural storytelling, and authored interdisciplinary performance frameworks.

Awards

• National Honour from Her Majesty The Queen for services to community singing (2003)

• Arts and Culture Award — European Federation of Black Women Business Owners (2005)

• Liverpool City Region Community Art and Music Award — winner (2018)

• LCR Culture and Creativity Awards — Impact Award for COVID-19 Response (2020)

• AIM Independent Music Awards — Local Hero Award (BBC Music Introducing) (2021)

Creative Leadership and Governance

• 20 Stories High — vice chair

• Black Music Action Group — former chair

• Liverpool Philharmonic Hall — former trustee

• Liverpool City Region Music Board — former trustee

In Conversation

Listen to Jennifer John in conversation with Liverpool Music City, part of Liverpool’s UNESCO City of Music programme, reflecting on her creative practice and the wider music industry.