Jeannine Otis

Jeannine Otis, also known as "Jahneen," is an American singer, educator, and music director. She appeared on Broadway in 1979 in Your Arms Too Short to Box With God.

Otis demonstrated exceptional academic ability early in life, gaining early acceptance to Wellesley College at age 16 and becoming the first African American to hold a Presser Music Scholar distinction there. She earned a BA in Sociology and Musicology from Wellesley, then pursued graduate study at Emerson College, where she completed an MA in Theater Education and Performance and received a teaching fellowship.

Her performance career spans multiple genres and collaborators. She has shared the stage with Kool and the Gang, the Shirelles, Grover Washington Jr., Eliot Goldenthal, Pete Seeger, and prominent hip-hop artists. Her theater work has brought her into collaboration with composer Galt MacDermot, director Liz Swados, and actor-director Robert Lupone. She has toured extensively in productions of Porgy and Bess and performed The Cradle Will Rock in both Staten Island and Manhattan, earning a Reggie Award for her Staten Island appearance. She collaborated with Heikki Sarmanto on Magic Song and is a Warner European recording artist.

Beyond performance, Otis has maintained a sustained presence in music and education. She has served as music director at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery for 25 years and worked with the New York City Department of Education as an Arts in Education evaluator. She is president and consultant of Light of Mine Productions and serves as outreach and education coordinator for the Staten Island Museum. She authored The Gathering, published by Seabury Press, which drew on her work with imprisoned teenagers and was subsequently adapted into a theatrical production.

Otis has performed at the Staten Island Jazz Festival across multiple years and appeared at the Empowering Voices Dinner Gala hosted by Illuminart Productions in 2018. Her honors include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York City Council, the St. Mark's Griffin Outreach Award, the William A. Morris Award from the NAACP, and a listing in Who's Who in America. She lives on Staten Island with her long-time partner, Larry Marshall.