Jessie Leov is an award-winning composer of New Zealand and Australian heritage.
Drawing on eclectic influences, her diverse practice as a music-maker traverses classical and popular music, including cross-disciplinary collaboration across the arts. Jessie’s work reflects her deep curiosity and vivid imagination, exploring the natural world as well as responding to other art forms such as poetry and visual art. She has worked with organisations across Australasia and beyond including the New Jersey Symphony, Bang on a Can, KC Vitas Chamber Choir, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, NZTrio, Creative Waikato, Flinders Quartet, Hush Foundation, Australian National Academy of Music, Omega Ensemble, and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
Following her time as Composer-in-Residence for the NZSO National Youth Orchestra in 2024, Jessie was one of four composers selected to attend the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute at Princeton University, where her orchestral work, Speculations on a Rainbow, was performed by the New Jersey Symphony. In 2025 she was a composer fellow at the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA in MA, USA, and artist-in-residence at Willapa Bay Artist-in-Residence program in WA and Arts, Letters and Numbers in NY. Closer to home, Speculations on a Rainbow was recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the 2025 NZ Composer Sessions, and outside in was premiered and recorded by Flinders Quartet in Melbourne, in collaboration with the Hush Foundation as part of the 2025 Emerge Composer Development Program.
A collaboration spanning multiple continents, time zones, and years, “Earthworks”, created alongside sonic artist Garling Wu, is an album of organic textures, delicate granular gestures, and surreal sonic spaces. It responds to their changing environments as nomadic artists; from the metropolis of London, to rural landscapes of Japan, to ancient glaciers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Following its release in early 2026, supported by Creative New Zealand, it was selected for broadcast in On Air On Site‘s 48-hour radio art festival, based in The Hague.
2026 will see Jessie’s work convergency, for piano trio, receive its European premiere at the ISCM World New Music Days Festival in Romania as the Official Australian Selection. She will also write new works for Sydney-based Omega Ensemble and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra as a participant in Omega’s CoLAB: Composer Accelerator program and the TSO’s Australian Composers School. The recipient of an ANAM Set commission, Jessie recently collaborated with flutist Emica Taylor to compose a new work, when two waters meet, bringing together alto flute, flute, singing glasses and voice, which premiered in Melbourne at the Australian National Academy of Music.
The recipient of an 2022 APRA Professional Development Award, Jessie holds a Master of Music in Composition from the University of Auckland, where she was awarded the Douglas Mews Composition Prize. She is a member of the International Alliance for Women in Music, an Associate Artist of the Australian Music Centre, and a represented artist with SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music.
SHORT BIO <250 words [May 26]
Jessie Leov is an award-winning composer of New Zealand and Australian heritage. With a diverse practice as a music-maker, Jessie’s work traverses classical and popular music, including cross-disciplinary collaboration across the arts. Her music reflects a deep curiosity about the world around her as well as responding to other art forms such as poetry and visual art.
Jessie was one of four composers selected to attend the 2024 Edward T. Cone Composition Institute at Princeton University, where her work, Speculations on a Rainbow, was performed by the New Jersey Symphony. In 2025 she was a composer fellow at the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival in MA, and an artist fellow at the Willapa Bay Artist-in-Residence Program in WA, USA.
Released in early 2026, “Earthworks”, is a collaboration with sonic artist Garling Wu spanning multiple continents, time zones, and years. An album of organic textures, delicate granular gestures, and surreal sonic spaces, i responds to their changing environments as nomadic artists; from the metropolis of London, to rural landscapes of Japan, to ancient glaciers in Aotearoa New Zealand. 2026 will also see Jessie work with leading Australian ensembles Sydney-based Omega Ensemble and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
Jessie holds a Master of Music in Composition from the University of Auckland, where she was awarded the Douglas Mews Composition Prize. She is a member of the International Alliance for Women in Music, an Associate Artist of the Australian Music Centre, and a represented artist with SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music.
MINI BIO <100 words [May 26]
Jessie Leov (MMus) is an award-winning composer of New Zealand and Australian heritage. With a diverse practice as a music-maker, her work traverses the classical and popular music space, including cross-disciplinary collaboration across the arts.
In 2024 Jessie was Composer-in-Residence for the NZSO National Youth Orchestra, and one of four composers selected to attend the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute at Princeton University. She was a composer fellow at the 2025 Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival at MASS MoCA and in 2026 will write new works for leading Australian ensembles Sydney-based Omega Ensemble and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
