About Jess
Jess Hall is an energetic woodwind specialist, performing as a flautist, clarinettist, and saxophonist in a range of concerts across Brisbane.
After achieving an Associate Diploma in flute performance in their home town of Toowoomba Jess moved to Brisbane to begin their studies at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU). There they completed a Bachelor of Music in flute performance, studying with Virginia Taylor, renowned Australian flautist. While completing these studies Jess received the Victoria Chalmers Education Award and had the chance to perform a variety of music including chamber music, classical orchestral music, premiers of new compositions, and performing in the band for musical theatre productions. Musical theatre has always been a passion for Jess and these shows inspired them to pursue woodwind doubling, taking up clarinet and saxophone. They learned these instruments in a Graduate Certificate program at QCGU, studying with Paul Dean (clarinet) and Diana Tolmie (saxophone). After a year of learning they performed recitals on both instruments and received a Griffith Award for Academic Excellence.
photo by quince and mulberry
photo by pif productions
Since graduating, Jess has kept their passion for performing and for musical theatre alive, working with various companies around Brisbane. Jess gets their fill of classical music performing in concerts and ballets as a flautist for the Cadenza Chamber Players, and they’ve even had the pleasure of performing twice as a soloist with the orchestra. In between these concerts Jess uses their flute, clarinet and saxophone skills performing as a woodwind doubler with local musical theatre companies. This has allowed them to dive into a variety of genres, from pop and jazz to rock, as well as both classic and contemporary Broadway shows. Jess also enjoys putting on recitals to continue developing their skills and discovering new music, and their most recent 'crafternoon' recital (with the audience completing craft projects during the performances) was a big hit. Some of Jess's standout performances include Ballet Theatre Queensland's yearly productions at the QPAC Concert Hall and testing their sight-reading skills by rehearsing and staging a musical in just one day for the 24hr Musical Project.
Jess has seven years of experience as a woodwind teacher, having worked in various music studios, private schools, and at their home studio. During this time they have been dedicated to fostering a fun and supportive environment for their students while accommodating diverse learning styles and needs. Jess completed a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching at Griffith University in 2022, and in 2023, they served as the Instrumental Music Coordinator at Westside Christian College, managing instrumental music lessons for over 300 students and coordinating all college music events.
While this teaching experience has helped shape the early stages of Jess's career, they've been really enjoying moving into a more hands-on role within the music industry over the past year. They've been broadening their skills and gaining insight into the behind-the-scenes theatre world by helping to build sets for the shows they've been performing in. Jess has genuinely enjoyed learning how to craft set pieces and understanding the design considerations specific to theatre. They've also been using their creativity to paint backdrops and props, which has been quite an enjoyable part of the journey.
