Jena Vangjel is a freelance trumpeter and teaching artist based in Kansas City, MO. She has performed with orchestras across the country, including the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, New World Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Tucson Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Vangjel is fiercely passionate about using music to create community. She got her start in this work as a musician and administrator with Street Symphony in Los Angeles, CA. In the fall of 2018, Vangjel founded Community of Note--an organization committed to fostering healing and community through music for people experiencing homelessness.

Vangjel teaches Music Entrepreneurship at Missouri Western State University and the Kansas City Art Institute, plays with the Fountain City Brass Band, and is an active freelancer in the KC metro. She is a 2025 recipient of ArtsKC’s Inspiration Grant. She holds a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from The Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory.