Jean Flinn

Associate Director

Our Associate Director, Jean Flinn

Jean Flinn, Certified Music Arranger, has been a member of Sweet Adelines International since April of 1974. She grew up in a barbershop home and arranged her first song when she was in 8th grade. When she was in 3rd grade, she started singing lead with three 6th grade girls. This quartet sang together and performed on area shows for six years.  

Jean has been a musical leader in Sweet Adelines for 42 years. She directed the Chippewa Valley Chorus and the Cuyahoga Valley Chorus in Ohio. After serving as the Master Director of the Greater Cleveland Chorus for the past 26 years, she retired from directing in 2020. The Greater Cleveland Chorus earned 9 Regional Championships under her direction and placed third in the 2018 AA Harmony Classic.

Jean continues to be active in Sweet Adelines at the regional level. She is a member of the Educational Steering Committee in Region 17 and on the Regional Faculty for both Regions 17 and 9 where she teaches classes in Music Theory, Arranging, and Finale. She continues to coach choruses and quartets in both regions. She has taught several Virtual Classes on Zoom to students throughout the United States Australia, and New Zealand.

At the International level, Jean is the Music Arrangements Coordinator for Sweet Adelines International. It is her job to enter arrangements into Finale and prepare the manuscripts for publication. She is also very active in the new Arranger Certification Program (ACP). She was selected, along with Certified Music Arranger Judy Vidal, to lead the first ACP Intermediate Cohort Group. Together they have been mentoring 5 arrangers for the past 18 months. They will be starting their 2nd Cohort Group in October.        

Jean, along with her two daughters Melissa and Kelley, is a member of the Sound of Sunshine Chorus, where she is currently an associate director.