Composition & Productions
Embodying Composer, Producer, Artist, and Artistic Director roles Jessica is leading a revolution within the art-music and contemporary opera scene.
Composer
As composer, Jessica is forging a new path. One of only four selected in the highly prestigious Words, Text, Voices, Music composition program (Conservatorium of Music), she is studying her PhD under supervisors Liza Lim and Paul Stanhope. Her works, including a chamber opera, Menarche, exploring generational trauma, unveiling and erasing shame commonly passed from mother to daughter in relation to the female body and menstrual cycles, will place her firmly within the ranks of new Australian composers.
Producer
As producer, Jessica creates opportunities, challenging the status quo of contemporary classical music. She’s received funding for works including The Mother Project (2020) exploring facets of modern day motherhood including postnatal depression, the economy and invisibility of care, queer parenting, and miscarriage, and Running Man (2022) which explores aspects of serious mental illness including psychosis and schizophrenia. Along with multiple City of Sydney (2021) and Vivid Sydney X-Celerate Program (2019, 2020) grants to create pop-up live music and 3-day Women in Music festivals to preview her album and showcase emerging female artists.
Explore some of Jessica’s works below:
Director
As Co-Artistic Director with the prestigious Song Company, Jessica’s influence and philosophy aims to promote a rich and relevant voice within the industry while maintaining her position as Mezzo among the elite singer group. Her programming will both champion and commission new Australian works while celebrating the company's 40-year legacy as Australia’s national vocal ensemble. Jessica’s instrumental role will develop new Emerging Artist and Education/Training programs for the company.
Artist
An award winning performer, one of Australia’s most distinctive, provocative and versatile vocalists, Jessica is passionate about promoting female voice/narrative/presence within the music industry. Not wishing to reinforce the outdated and damaging attitudes towards women that dominate the traditional opera scene, Jessica thrives as a new music specialist - collaborating with leading Australian composers (Finsterer, Chance, Polias, Stanhope). She’s premiered dozens of operas and musical works including ‘Three Marys’ (2023) at Sydney Opera House (Greenwell), ‘Antarctica’ (2022) at Holland Festival and Sydney Festival (Finsterer) and will premiere Nico Muhly’s new opera written specifically for her as a solo work, as well as Jack Symonds’ new opera ‘Gilgamesh’ in collaboration with OA, directed by Kip Williams.
