a b o u t
Jessica is a versatile and instinctive artist who plays in all kinds of genres with ease and energy. A native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, she recently graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with her master’s degree in music performance, where she studied with Professor Simon James, and now performs and teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before moving to San Francisco, she got her bachelor’s degree at St. Olaf College, where she studied with Dr. Francesca Anderegg.
Throughout her time in San Francisco, Jessica has enjoyed a wide array of performance opportunities, ranging from recording sessions for a Cartoon Network movie to playing for weddings at the San Francisco City Hall. She performs frequently with several orchestras around the area, including the California Symphony, Vallejo Symphony, Stockton Symphony, Monterey Symphony, Rogue Valley Symphony, and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. She also works with several organizations in the area to play for all kinds of events, and has experience contracting gigs as well, as a former employee for the Hire SFCM Musicians program at SFCM.
Jessica is an avid chamber music musician, and she is a member of several active groups in the Bay Area, including the Bridge Music Collective, Hayes Trio, and Duo Islay, through which she has performed in concert series such as Music on the Hill, Old First Concerts, and at the Cathedral of St. Mary’s of the Assumption in San Francisco. Jessica also plays string quartets whenever she has a chance, most recently performing with a quartet as part of the Kronos Festival in summer 2023. Jessica has attended many music festivals with a focus on chamber music such as the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, and the Credo Summer Music Institute, where she was a fellow for the 2022 session.
Jessica has had the opportunity to work with mentors including David Chan, Nathan Cole, Rachel Barton Pine, Paul Kantor, and Nurit Bar-Josef, and Bruno Eicher. As a soloist, Jessica has performed with the Red River High School Orchestra in 2023 at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell, and with the St. Olaf Orchestra as a winner of the 2021 Senior Soloists Competition.
Jessica maintains an expanding private violin studio both in-person and online, and teaches at several studios and schools in San Francisco, including Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, the Bird School of Music, and the Town school for Boys. She has also spent seven summers coaching young string players at the Dal Segno chamber music camp in Grand Forks, ND.
In her free time, Jessica enjoys singing, reading, hiking, and getting boba with friends.
