Jennifer Teisinger

Jennifer Teisinger joined the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra as Executive Director in 2019. Under her leadership, the SDSO received the three largest donations in the organization’s history and has seen unprecedented national recognition with articles in the New Yorker and the Washington Post. She established the SDSO’s live-stream programming in partnership with South Dakota Public Broadcasting and steered the production of the SDSO’s first-ever professional recordings, Lakota Music Project (2022) and Atlas of Deep Time by John Luther Adams (2024). Teisinger’s collaborative partnership with music director Delta David Gier has resulted in nine world premieres to date. Together, they have expanded education and engagement programming by growing community partnerships, re-established the annual family concert, and have grown the Lakota Music Project and Music Composition Academies.

Prior to joining the SDSO, Teisinger served in the same role at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. While there, Teisinger created a New Works Fund, expanded the popular After School Piano Program, launched a Spring Family Concert Series, and established a new String Instrument Program. During her nine-year tenure with the Sun Valley Music Festival (Idaho), she established the organization’s endowment and a planned giving program which built the foundation for securing the orchestra’s financial future. Upon her arrival in Sun Valley, the Board commenced a $3 million capital campaign to support the Festival’s interest in the construction of the Sun Valley Pavilion. The campaign raised $5 million, surpassing its goal by $2 million. Teisinger played a pivotal role in the design and planning details for the construction of the venue. The combination of the new venue and a firm financial foundation prompted expanded programming including the addition of the In Focus Series, semi-staged works, choral pieces, live-to-film presentations, and seven commissioned works. The organization’s budget increased by 45% during her tenure there and the reserve fund doubled.

Teisinger also served as executive director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Washington) where she steered a focused board building effort resulting in increased board membership by 25%, increased fundraising event income by 25% and lengthened the concert season.

Teisinger began her career managing education and the youth orchestra programs at the San Jose Symphony and continued at the San Francisco Symphony where she managed the internationally recognized San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Jennifer Teisinger has a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of North Texas, Denton, and a master’s degree in music from the Rice University Shepherd School of Music in Houston, both in oboe performance. She has served on the youth orchestra division board of the League of American Orchestras as well as on the boards of the San Jose Youth Symphony, the Pioneer Montessori School (Ketchum, Idaho), and the fundraising committee for the Lincoln High School band (Sioux Falls).