Jessie is a composer, arranger and musician currently based in Auckland, NZ.
With a diverse musical background, Jessie trained in piano, guitar, violin, voice and theatre during her childhood, as well as performing extensively in bands and as a solo performer around her hometown of Nelson. Since then she has worked in a range of areas including songwriting, producing, composing for multimedia, studio session work as a pianist and singer, live performance, transcription, score editing, arranging, orchestration, and composing for a variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles.
Her 2018 highlights include working with Karen Grylls and the Auckland Chamber Choir to workshop her SATB choir piece ‘terram’, receiving 2nd place in the University of Auckland’s Songwriter of the Year contest, and having her orchestra piece ‘the wilds’ workshopped and recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in Wellington. She also had the opportunity to work with international artists such as Mark Menzies (violin) and Shen Nalin (composer).
Jessie has a strong interest in writing and arranging for voice, having been a singer since a young age. In particular, she has been involved in barbershop singing since age 13 and has earned a number of medals at both national and international level, as a member of ZEAL Quartet. She is currently building a catalogue of vocal compositions and arrangements, in both the choral genre and the a cappella/barbershop style.
After graduating with an Honours degree in Music Composition from the University of Auckland in 2018, Jessie is working on a range of musical projects including an original musical theatre production being workshopped in Wellington in 2019.
| Education | University of Auckland, New Zealand |
| 2013-2018 | Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Composition Bachelor of Arts in French |
| Awards & Achievements | |
| 2018 | Bev Sellers Memorial Scholarship Sweet Adelines International |
| Taurus Charitable Trust Postgraduate Scholarship in Music University of Auckland |
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| Beatrice Ratcliffe Postgraduate Scholarship in Music University of Auckland |
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| Songwriter of the Year Awards - 2nd Place School of Music Students Association, The University of Auckland |
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| Selected for the NZSO Todd Corporation Young Composer Awards New Zealand Symphony Orchestra |
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| 2017 | First in Course Award: Composition (MUS311) University of Auckland |
| 2016 | Blues Award - Arts University of Auckland |
| Maxwell Walker Memorial Scholarship University of Auckland |
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| 2014 | First in Course Award: Popular Music Creative Practice & Theory and Aural (MUS280 + MUS284) University of Auckland |
| 'Seeds of Success' Contest Winner (received grant for musical equipment) Newstalk ZB and ASB Bank |
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| 2013 | First in Course Award: Popular Music Creative Practice & Theory and Aural (MUS180 + MUS184) University of Auckland |
| Songwriter of the Year - finalist for APRA Best Arranger Award and NZ On Air Best Song Award Popular Music Department, The University of Auckland |
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| Adastra Foundation Music Scholarship Adastra Foundation |
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| 2012 | Grade 8 Classical Piano (Pass with Merit) Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music |
| Jubilee Award Scholarship University of Auckland |
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| Top 17 Finalist in Who Loves Who NZ Cover Song Contest (No Ordinary Thing - Opshop) Play it Strange |
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| Top 48 Finalist - Secondary Schools Songwriting Contest (Divine - Jessie Leov) Play it Strange |
Watch this space for more news on Jessie’s latest musical endeavours.
To hear her original music, visit her soundcloud page.
