Composer
"As a composer, Jessie Downs weaves together wild yet delicate sounds into rich psychological dramas."
As a composer, Jessie Downs weaves together wild yet delicate sounds into rich psychological dramas. Much of her compositional approach stems from her experience as a performer of both bel canto and free improvisation. As a result, her music finds beauty in shapes both elegant and uncanny. She has written a variety of works for voices as well as for traditional, found, and altered acoustic instruments. While her current focus is the completion of her first opera, she has also produced works for educational, sacred, and concert settings.
In 2018, Jessie was featured as a finalist in Beth Morrison Project’s Next Generation Competition at National Sawdust Theatre in Brooklyn, showcasing promising creators of new opera. Other compositional accolades include winning 2nd place for best new harp composition in the 2014 Dutch Harp Festival. Her works have been performed throughout North America and Europe by a variety of excellent musicians and collaborators, including percussionist Christian Smith (The Hague), flutist Michael Matsuno (San Diego), and pianist Jade Conlee (New Haven), as well as professional ensembles like The Syndicate for the New Arts (Cleveland) and citywater (Sacramento). In 2015, she founded the Sotto Voce Vocal Collective, a vocal ensemble that aims to promote awareness of both the capabilities of the human voice and the diversity of composers living today.
As a TA at the University at Buffalo, Jessie has taught all levels of undergraduate theory and aural skills classes, as well as UB’s “Art in Society” - a seminar focused on understanding art through community-based learning. From 2013-2015, Jessie co-founded and served as an instructor for Sonic Explorations, an El Sistema-inspired after-school music program for elementary school students in Orange, NJ. She has also taught the Creative Musicianship curriculum developed for this program in shorter-term classes for middle and high school students in both NJ and NY. Jessie holds a Bachelors of Music in Composition from Oberlin Conservatory and is currently a MA/ PhD candidate in Composition at the University at Buffalo.
In 2018, Jessie was featured as a finalist in Beth Morrison Project’s Next Generation Competition at National Sawdust Theatre in Brooklyn, showcasing promising creators of new opera. Other compositional accolades include winning 2nd place for best new harp composition in the 2014 Dutch Harp Festival. Her works have been performed throughout North America and Europe by a variety of excellent musicians and collaborators, including percussionist Christian Smith (The Hague), flutist Michael Matsuno (San Diego), and pianist Jade Conlee (New Haven), as well as professional ensembles like The Syndicate for the New Arts (Cleveland) and citywater (Sacramento). In 2015, she founded the Sotto Voce Vocal Collective, a vocal ensemble that aims to promote awareness of both the capabilities of the human voice and the diversity of composers living today.
As a TA at the University at Buffalo, Jessie has taught all levels of undergraduate theory and aural skills classes, as well as UB’s “Art in Society” - a seminar focused on understanding art through community-based learning. From 2013-2015, Jessie co-founded and served as an instructor for Sonic Explorations, an El Sistema-inspired after-school music program for elementary school students in Orange, NJ. She has also taught the Creative Musicianship curriculum developed for this program in shorter-term classes for middle and high school students in both NJ and NY. Jessie holds a Bachelors of Music in Composition from Oberlin Conservatory and is currently a MA/ PhD candidate in Composition at the University at Buffalo.
"While her current focus is the completion of her first opera, she has also produced works for educational, sacred, and concert settings."
About The Second Sight
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My current compositional focus is an opera in three acts about the spiritual connections between generations of women, entitled The Second Sight. The opera is due to receive its premiere performances on June 26th and 27th, 2021 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, NY.
Consider reserving your tickets or donating to the project today, and enjoy a brief overview of the opera (right) and previews of the music (below). |
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Act I Scene 1 |
Act I Scene 2 |
Act III Scene 1 |
Act III Scene 2 |
The 2021 premiere of The Second Sight is a Sotto Voce Vocal Collective production, in cooperation with Nickel City Opera.