Jessica Cottis has earned widespread recognition for her inventive, thought-provoking programming and inspiring musical leadership. Recent highlights include engagements with the London Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Philharmonia, Singapore Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Romanian Radio Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra (Canada), National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland), Royal Danish Opera, Opera Australia, Orchestre National de Bordeaux, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Gävle Symfoniorkester (Sweden), Turku Philharmonic, and in Milan with Orchestra i Pomeriggi Musicali – as well as numerous invitations to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the BBC Proms. She has recorded for the BBC, ABC and Decca Classics labels.

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In September 2023, Cottis assumed the role of Artistic Partner of the Västerås Sinfonietta in Sweden, and continues her fifth season as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra (CSO). Under her visionary leadership, the CSO has delivered important new and award-winning initiatives, including a significant commissioning output, collaborations with First Nations creators and under-represented voices, and the continued championing of Australian works. Cottis recieved the 2024 Art Music Luminary Award (ACT) for her artistic leadership, creating a significant shift in the orchestra's artistic output that has led the way for change in programming across the country. ​

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Cottis' domain is music of the 19th to 21st centuries. This season she will conduct major works by Mahler, Richard Strauss, Wagner, Beethoven, Brahms, Sibelius, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Elgar and Vaughan Williams. Admired internationally for her deep musical curiosity and affinity for new music, she has also recently conducted critically acclaimed productions of Poul Ruder’s The Handmaid’s Tale (Royal Danish Opera), Na'ama Zisser's Mamzer (Royal Opera), John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer (Norrlandsoperan), Missy Mazzoli's Breaking the Waves (Opera Australia), and was Music Director for the world premiere of Laura Bowler’s The Blue Woman at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

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A gifted communicator described as a “cool, contained, super-articulate and engaging” (The Scotsman), Cottis works widely as an advocate for classical music. She has led courses for women conductors for both the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Royal Opera House, and and is Chair of the Music Board of the Tait Memorial Trust, a charitable foundation that supports Australian and New Zealand performing artists to undertake postgraduate study in the UK. She is a frequent contributor on BBC radio and television, commenting on a wide range of arts-related topics, from opera to architecture, synaesthesia, the environment, and acoustics.

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Jessica Cottis grew up on her family’s sheep farm in south-eastern Australia and quickly developed a lifelong interest in both music and the natural world. She is especially interested in the relation between music, nature and science, and the act of listening. Her early musical career was as an organist, pianist, and trumpeter. Awarded first class honours at the Australian National University, she continued her studies in Paris with pioneering French organist Marie-Claire Alain. A wrist injury halted her playing career and she began conducting studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying with Colin Metters and Sir Colin Davis. She went on to serve as Assistant Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, where she worked closely with mentors Sir Donald Runnicles and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

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Jessica Cottis has undertaken Executive Leadership studies at Cornell University and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

 

She resides in Stockholm, and outside of music pursues her passion for butterflies all over the world.

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