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Jenny Klukken is a marimbist, composer, improviser, and educator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She studied classical percussion at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis with Fernando Meza and studied azz vibraphone with Steve Yeager. After graduating, she studied marimba and improvisation in Paris, France, with Eric Sammut through an artist grant. Her debut album, “Color in Motion” was released in 2021 and encapsulated her sound on the marimba, which centers the 5 octave instrument as the leading sound in a jazz/world music band. Klukken combines her classical background and virtuosity with her passion for improvisation, musical free-play, and genre blending. Her unique approach pushes the boundaries of the marimba into more diverse styles of music, such as jazz, Latin, Brazilian, flamenco, American folk, and more. Today Jenny teaches percussion and marimba at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, and at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

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JENNY KLUKKEN is a marimbist from Minneapolis who combines her classical percussion background with her passion for improvisation-based music like jazz. As a crossover musician, Jenny bridges the gap between virtuosic marimba repertoire and adaptive music-making. She strives to take the instrument to new ears, celebrating its versatility in a wide range of genres.

Klukken first moved to Minneapolis to study Percussion Performance at the University of Minnesota with Fernando Meza, Steve Yeager, and Phil Hey. At that time, she was interested in pursing jazz drumset but soon found her home was with the marimba. She spent years studying classic marimba repertoire before returning to her passion for improvisational genres like jazz, folk, Latin, hip hop, and beyond.

As a very unique marimbist, Jenny felt the need to study marimba composition and improvisation with the right mentor. Through a grant from the Metropolitan Region Arts Council, Jenny was able to study with marimba legend Eric Sammut in Paris, France. Studying with Eric greatly influenced Jenny’s compositional style, as well as her educational perspective on the marimba.

Jenny went on to write, crowd-fund, record, and produce her first full length record in 2021 entitled “Color in Motion”, which was the first of its kind: centering the marimba on a jazz/world music album. Color in Motion is filled with Latin percussion, complex rhythms, soaring melodies, and virtuosic marimba playing.

Klukken currently teaches privately out of her studio in Minneapolis. She also teaches percussion at Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter, MN, and currently holds an interim position teaching marimba at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Jenny is a premier artist with Marimba One of Arcata, California. She is an active performer and musical collaborator in the Twin Cities area, where she lives. As passionate educator, she regularly visits Universities and high schools to teach and encourage young marimbists to explore the marimba as a more diverse instrument.