CONDUCTOR Jessica Cottis conductor These performances mark Jessica Cottis’s first appearance with the Charlotte Symphony.
Hailed by the UK music press as “one to watch”, Jessica Cottis possesses intellectual rigour, innate musicality and an easy authority; she is a charismatic figure on the podium who brings dynamism, intensity and clarity of vision to all her performances. Frequently in demand as a guest conductor, highlights of Cottis’ recent seasons include performances at the prestigious BBC Proms, and engagements with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and recording with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. In the 2021/22 season, Cottis looks forward to engagements with Norrlands Opera where she will conduct a new production of Macbeth, in addition to working with the Oslo Philharmonic, Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra, Bordeaux Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony, Basel Sinfonietta, and Ulster Orchestra among others, she will conduct the Royal Opera House’s world premiere of The Blue Woman by Laura Bowler.
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Born in Australia and a dual BritishAustralian citizen, Jessica Cottis was awarded a first class honours degree in organ, piano and musicology from the Australian National University and continued her studies as an organist with Marie-Claire Alain in Paris, winning awards from the Royal Philharmonic Society and Royal College of Organists. She began conducting studies in 2006, studying with Colin Metters and Sir Colin Davis on the postgraduate conducting course at the Royal Academy of Music. From 2009 to 2011 she was Assistant Conductor at the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Fellow in Conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and from 2012 to 2014 was Assistant Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In 2014 Cottis took up the position of Principal Conductor of the Glasgow New Music Expedition and is the current Chief Conductor of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Jessica Cottis makes her home in South London and in her free time is learning to fly a helicopter.
photo by Kaupo Kikkas
