Jessica Summers studied at King’s College, London (B.Mus. Hons) and on ‘The Knack, a performance course run by English National Opera. Opera credits include: Gentle Giant (McNeff) (Royal Opera/Linbury Studo); Rusalka, Magic Flute, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Marriage of Figaro (English Touring Opera); La Liberazione di Ruggiero (F. Caccini) (St John Smith’s Square); Hot Box Girl Guys and Dolls (Pimlico Opera/inmates of Wandsworth Prison) and several productions for the education departments of ETO, the Royal Opera and Opera North. She has given many recitals, performing mainly lieder and twentieth century repertoire.
Jessica studied contemporary performance on the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, Aldeburgh, directed by Oliver Knussen She has also sung in several masterclasses with Jane Manning and has participated in workshops with Annabel Arden/Complicite on the music/theatre of Georges Aperghis. She has sung in many new music performances and given premieres of several new works. Recent performances include Pierrot Lunaire (Schoenberg) at the Holywell Music Room, Oxford.
Community music and music education are very important to Jessica. She taught singing for several years in Tower Hamlets, E London for the music service (THAMES) leading much of the vocal provision, including youth choirs, singing lessons in schools and short term vocal projects. She also wrote the Vocal Teaching framework document for the peripatetic teachers.
In 2006, following two years of touring, she undertook a three month placement in Belize, Central America working on behalf of the Belize Ministry of Education to lead creative arts workshops and teaching in five rural schools in southern Belize. Since 2006 she has had her own singing teaching practice in central Cambridge teaching students of all ages and abilities. She also teaches singing one day per week at The Perse School (Senior); her student successes there include Oxbridge choral scholarships, NYMT auditions and ABRSM grades 6 & 8 distinctions.
Jessica has also led, assisted or performed in many education projects for Opera North, English Touring Opera and the Royal Opera as well as orchestras and music services and she has been the vocal animateur for several large scale singing projects in London. Other projects include ‘Find Your Voice’ courses for adult singer beginners, a regular singing project with people with severe mental illness and three years for the Drake Music Project working with disabled musicians via music technology. She was a vocal workshop leader for the Trinity Guildhall/Open University CPD KS2 music programme. Jessica is a member of EQUITY and AOTOS (Association of Singing Teachers).