Biography
Jess was raised in Hicksville, NY by her mother, Laura and her Father, Butch. She began piano lessons at age 7 with Dr. Robert Sergio at his private studio in Westbury, NY. She's always had a love of playing and a love of helping others. She then began to play the saxophone, the flute, and the clarinet.
Through High School, she tried to take any opportunity she could to perform with ensembles. Her freshman year she was asked to be the pianist for Robert W. Smith's Divine Comedy for her high school's Wind Ensemble. Throughout school, she joined Tri-M music honor society, played tenor saxophone for the Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Band, sang in the concert choir and the Madrigals select choir, as well as playing piano whenever she was needed for concerts. She left high school with the Lois Armstrong Jazz Award, the senior band and choir awards, and a service to the music department award as well as the Daniel Kristoff Memorial Scholarship.
After High School, she was accepted to The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where she studied music and theatre. She's also become a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, the music fraternity for women at the Gamma Delta Chapter. She discovered her love of music directing through Clarkson Theater Company with her first production of "Guys and Dolls." She worked for two more years with CTC, also doing productions on the SUNY Potsdam campus such as "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and her senior project, "Into the Millennium," a musical theatre revue she created, as well as direct and music direct. She graduated with an award in Artistic Excellence for this project.
Currently, she is a member of the Carnival Cruise Line staff as a showband musician on keys. She loves traveling and working with musicians and other staff members from all over the world. She just finished a 6 month contract in June with the Carnival Pride where she originated the Musical Theater set with the help of Kristen Basore and Michael Welsh. She will be returning on the MS Carnival Splendor at the end of October and throughout it's relocation through South America until the end of April.
She is so thankful to everyone who's supported her through the years, whether they were a teacher, her family, or a friend who sat and listened to a performance, she couldn't be where she is today without your encouragement!
Through High School, she tried to take any opportunity she could to perform with ensembles. Her freshman year she was asked to be the pianist for Robert W. Smith's Divine Comedy for her high school's Wind Ensemble. Throughout school, she joined Tri-M music honor society, played tenor saxophone for the Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Band, sang in the concert choir and the Madrigals select choir, as well as playing piano whenever she was needed for concerts. She left high school with the Lois Armstrong Jazz Award, the senior band and choir awards, and a service to the music department award as well as the Daniel Kristoff Memorial Scholarship.
After High School, she was accepted to The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where she studied music and theatre. She's also become a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, the music fraternity for women at the Gamma Delta Chapter. She discovered her love of music directing through Clarkson Theater Company with her first production of "Guys and Dolls." She worked for two more years with CTC, also doing productions on the SUNY Potsdam campus such as "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and her senior project, "Into the Millennium," a musical theatre revue she created, as well as direct and music direct. She graduated with an award in Artistic Excellence for this project.
Currently, she is a member of the Carnival Cruise Line staff as a showband musician on keys. She loves traveling and working with musicians and other staff members from all over the world. She just finished a 6 month contract in June with the Carnival Pride where she originated the Musical Theater set with the help of Kristen Basore and Michael Welsh. She will be returning on the MS Carnival Splendor at the end of October and throughout it's relocation through South America until the end of April.
She is so thankful to everyone who's supported her through the years, whether they were a teacher, her family, or a friend who sat and listened to a performance, she couldn't be where she is today without your encouragement!