Jessie Leov

Jessie Leov (MMus) is an award-winning composer, songwriter and musician, based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Active in the industry for over a decade, Jessie’s practice as a music-maker is diverse. Her work traverses both the classical and popular music space, including cross-disciplinary collaboration across theatre, film, sonic arts and poetry.

Jessie’s work has been commissioned, performed or workshopped by groups across Aotearoa and beyond including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, NZTrio, Auckland Chamber Choir, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Auckland Youth Choir, Creative Waikato, Red Scare Theatre Company, KC Vitas (USA) and Celebris Ensemble (USA).

Named as the 2024 NZSO National Youth Orchestra Composer-in-Residence, Jessie will have a new orchestral work premiered by the NYO at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington next July, conducted by Tianyi Lu. In 2022 Jessie was the recipient of an APRA Professional Development Award, as well as being awarded first place in the Open Category of national competition Compose Aotearoa! for her choral work, lady of the river. She was also selected to take part in the SOUNZ NZ Composer Sessions where her orchestral work, marble, bark, silver, was recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Alongside sonic artist Garling Wu, Jessie is currently working on earthworks, a collaborative project funded by Creative New Zealand. Responding to climate change, this project brings together Jessie and Garling’s respective backgrounds in contemporary classical and electroacoustic music as well as exploring wider musical influences.