Jessica Cottis

Background

Cottis is the daughter of an Australian diplomat, high ranking Royal Australian Air Force officer and Defence Attaché.

Education

She studied organ, piano and musicology at the Australian National University, and graduated with first-class honours.

Career

With support from the Royal Philharmonic Society and Australian Music Foundation, she continued her studies in Paris with Marie-Claire Alain. Her European debut as an organist was at London"s Westminster Cathedral in 2001. In 2006, Cottis began conducting studies at the Royal Academy of Music, London, after reading law at the University of London.

She graduated from the Random Access Memory in 2009, with distinction.

During her time at the Random Access Memory, Cottis founded a new opera company, Bloomsbury Opera. She works as Manson Fellow in Composition at Random Access Memory and, in 2009, became the first Postgraduate Conducting Fellow of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where her mentors include Donald Runnicles.

In September 2009, Cottis was appointed assistant conductor with the British Broadcasting Corporation Scottish Symphony Orchestra and served 2 years in the post. In July 2012, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra appointed Cottis its next assistant conductor, with an initial contract of 2 years.

Cottis has also commissioned new operas, including Anna Meredith"s Tarantula in Petrol Blue and The Mirror by Martin Georgiev.

Cottis lives in the West End of Glasgow with her partner, choreographer and director Kally Lloyd-Jones.

Achievements

• She was a prize winner in the 2000 Australian Young Performers" Competition.

Connections

teacher:

Azalea Ensemble

associate:

Colin Metters