Jessica began violin at school aged 8 after having been on the waiting list for a whole year! Jessica went right the way up through Hampshire Music Service, and still to this day performs regularly with one of her first violin teachers, Caroline Sharps, who before her retirement was a full-time teacher at HMS. At secondary school, Jessica developed a close bond with another HMS teacher, Joyce Ingledew who is now also retired. She undertook one week's work experience by Joyce's side so that she could gain insight into her local music service and see how being a violin teacher would work. Jessica is self-employed but also now proudly works for the Surrey Arts Music Hub.
Jessica attended South Downs College following her school years, which she found to be an incredibly supportive environment (especially for those from financially deprived backgrounds) — she received free violin and piano tuition for both years of education, free course books and was permitted discounted music trips to Paris and Prague. Jessica holds an extreme level of gratitude towards all of the unique and encouraging tutors who once taught at South Downs, all of whom have now sadly left. Jessica still occasionally performs in concert with the bassoonist Paula Barnes, who was her A Level Music teacher at this time. College was a busy time for Jessica — she enjoyed singing in the college choir and the all-female chamber choir, achieved ABRSM Grade 8 Distinction on the violin, took piano and theory exams, led the Fareham and Gosport Area Youth Orchestra, and played in the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and their Chamber Orchestra.
After college, Jessica immediately undertook a BA (Hons) in Music at the University of Southampton. This was a jam-packed three years where Jessica quickly discovered that string players were often required for exciting concert opportunities. Jessica played in the 1st violin section of the Southampton University Symphony Orchestra (which was then conducted by Robin Browning) and attended two foreign tours to the South of France and Valencia in Spain. Jessica led both violin sections previously in the Southampton University Sinfonietta (Chamber Orchestra), where she worked under the baton of three accomplished conductors: Jonathan Lo, Dane Lam and Maxime Tortilier (conductor for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.) Departmental Historical Projects happened at least once a year involving a concert at Southampton's historic St Michaels Church, allowing students to receive Baroque coaching from Adrian Chandler of the renowned 'La Serenissima' on more than one occasion. Jessica played 1st violin in her University string quartet 'Euphoria' who received rigid formal assessment, and as the culmination of 3 years education, Jessica played a Russian recital of Shostakovich and Prokofiev. The Czech composer Martinu was the subject of Jessica's dissertation, his use of Czech folk traditions in his compositions being her specialism.
Jessica has received an overwhelming amount of support and assistance throughout the years: a 100% string scholarship onto an Easter orchestral course, a bursary to Dartington International Summer School where she led the Dartington String Orchestra, two co-principal bursaries to perform in the 2nd violins (Elgar Cockaigne, Respighi Pines of Rome) and 1st violins (Strauss' Alpine Symphony) with the Rehearsal Orchestra in Trinity Square London; Jessica has also been a recipient of the Gillian Halse bursary in 2017 where she attended Rehearsal Orchestra's Edinburgh course in alignment with Edinburgh Fringe Festival, also receiving full funding to perform Wagner's Tannhauser with the Edinburgh Opera Players Group in Portobello, Scotland that same year.
Prior to her Masters, Jessica worked as a full-time violin and piano teacher for just one year so that she could prepare for music college and continue her studies with her university violin teacher, Caroline Balding. Following this gap year Jessica studied for 2 years full-time at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. Her teacher was Lowri Porter who is co-principal section leader for the prestigious Welsh National Opera. Jessica idolized Lowri and went to watch her orchestra, chamber and solo performances. Jessica enjoyed studying music with world famous conductors such as David Jones, Wyn Davies and Carlo Rizzi, performed at venues like the Sherman Theatre, the Dora Stouzker Hall and St David's Hall in Cardiff city centre. Jessica performed in a contemporary, 5 piece chamber group (The Nightingale Ensemble) who were either a string quartet + harp or a string quartet + saxophone. The group received reviews of high critical acclaim, and their world premiere of 'Spider's Web' took The Nightingale Ensemble to the World Harp Congress in London. Jessica was really able to nurture her passion for opera at RWCMD, leading the orchestra for an operatic production of Mozart's Le Nozze De Figaro and performing in a separate production of the jazzy and humorous 'Street Scene'. Jessica also performed in an all-female orchestra at the 'Women of the World' festival in London during this time. Little did Jessica know that undertaking this project would lead her to her first professional orchestral contract, where the world's first all-female orchestra toured to Switzerland and stunned guests at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2019.
Jessica now works full-time again as a strings and piano teacher and also as a gigging/performing musician. Jessica is busy teaching the next generation of aspiring musicians and also acts as Bookings Manager for her very own commercial group, Marino Strings.