AYO National Music Camp – Composition

Jessica Wells was born in Florida, USA in 1974 and migrated to Australia at the age of 11. She completed her Bachelor of Music degree in Composition at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1996 and graduated with first class honours. This was followed by a Master’s Degree in Composition under Dr. Bozidar Kos completed in 1998. After teaching composition at the Conservatorium for four years, she spent time living in Antwerp, Belgium and then returned to Sydney in 2003. She then completed a Masters in Screen Composition at the AFTRS (Australian Film, Television and Radio School) in 2005, and was awarded the Film Critic’s Circle Award for “Best Display of Technical Excellence” for her work on eight short films.

Jessica’s compositions cross many genres in the classical, commercial and film music worlds. She has worked for some of Australia’s best composers as an orchestrator, arranger and copyist.

Her orchestral music and arrangements have been performed by many of the major Australian orchestras (SSO, MSO, TSO, WASO and QSO). She was commissioned to write two pieces for the Victorian Opera’s “Seven Deadly Sins” project featuring seven singers and a full orchestra, which was acclaimed as a highlight of the year in Melbourne’s art scene.

“Moon Fire” for Carillon and Electronic track has been nominated for an Art Music Award in 2017 and will be performed in Barcelona as part of the Carillon World Congress in July. Jessica was previously nominated for an Art Music Award for her orchestral work “Ainulindale” in 2001.

As a producer Jessica can bring out the best in orchestral recordings as well as smaller ensembles and jazz and contemporary musicians. She has has arranged and produced music for ABC Classics as well as many other individual artist’s albums, including Divergence Jazz Orchestra’s last album “Fake ItUntil You Make It” and the Wiggles “Meet the Orchestra” album.  In 2018 she produced Alicia Crossley’s album MUSE and many recordings for the Hourglass Ensemble.

She also co-produces film recording sessions with composers, and is able to help them get the best performances and combinations of elements for delivery to the film mix. Most recently she produced the orchestral recordings of film soundtracks for Nigel Westlake’s “Paper Planes” and “Ali’s Wedding”.

Violinist Monica Curro is currently in her 19th year as Assistant Principal 2nd Violin of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and was a core member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra for 5 years before that. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in 1987 and completed a Masters Degree at Michigan State University in 1991, studying with Walter Verdehr. She has played with Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, as Principal 2nd Violin with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and Concertmaster of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and The Auckland Chamber Orchestra.

Monica is a member of the AYO Artistic Advisory Committee and regularly tutors for our orchestral and chamber music programs. She has taught violin at The University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of the Arts, and has coached chamber music and taught violin and viola at the Australian National Academy of Music and its Young Academy. In 2009 Monica was honoured to be invited as the only Australian to play in the World Orchestra for Peace conducted by Valery Gergiev for concerts in Poland and Sweden. She joined them in 2010 for concerts in London and Salzburg, in Abu Dhabi for 2011, in New York and Chicago for 2012, and in London for 2014. Monica is also a member of the Australian World Orchestra, who last year performed with Sir Simon Rattle in Sydney and Melbourne, and with Zubin Mehta on tour in India.

Monica recently gave the world premiere, as co-soloist with her sister Sarah, of Stefan Cassomenos’ Double Violin Concerto for acoustic, semi-acoustic and electric violins. In October 2013, she appeared as a soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and appears regularly as part of MSO’s Chamber Series. Monica is a founding member of contemporary ensemble PLEXUS which has commissioned over 100 composers and premiered 64 new works since launching in 2014.