Jessie Bittner is a singer, actor, music educator, and multi-instrumentalist in the BSOF Vocal Performance and Musical Theatre program at the Jacobs School of Music (JSOM). She began her fine arts journey at age four in the Lawrence Academy of Music Suzuki violin program. She gradually expanded her studies to include piano, French horn, and ultimately focused her training on voice and acting.
Some of her favorite performance credits at IU include The Light in the Piazza (Margaret), Spring Awakening (Anna/Frau Bergman/Fräulein Grossebüstenhalter), Closer Than Ever (Actor/Swing), and The Magic Flute (Second Lady). She has also music directed with University Players ( Lizzie) and Zephyr Players Theater ( Mary Poppins Jr., Annie Jr.).
Some other recent highlights include performing Mahler’s "Symphony No. 2" with the Cleveland Orchestra, and being a part of JSOM’s NOTUS Contemporary Vocal Ensemble. She has her own private studio where she offers voice, violin, and piano lessons.
Jessie considers herself a multi-hyphenate artist with experience in theatre, opera, choral work, music directing, and training in a variety of instruments. As an adaptable and versatile artist, she creates moments of clarity that illuminate the power of humanity in the world. She is also working to intersect her art with her advocacy for mental health awareness and body neutrality. Jessie is from Appleton, WI.
The College of Arts