Jessica Cottis

Conductor Jessica Cottis has earned widespread recognition for her inventive, thought-provoking programming and inspiring musical leadership. A gifted communicator described as “cool, contained, super-articulate and engaging” (The Scotsman), she is one of the most outstanding Australian conductors working today, in high demand from orchestras around the world. Her performances of the great Romantic repertoire have consistently received high praise: “with absolutely the right temperament for Brahms and a fine conducting technique, Jessica Cottis took care of every note. With authority and the clarity of sunlight, she lifted the orchestra to immense heights” (Västerbottens-Kuriren).

Cottis begins her third season as Artistic Partner of the Västerås Sinfonietta in Sweden and continues her fifth season as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Under her visionary leadership, the CSO has pioneered several important and award-winning initiatives, including a significant commissioning output, collaborations with indigenous creators, and championing Australian composers.

Cottis’ recent highlights include two consecutive years opening the Aldeburgh Festival (in 2025 with the world premiere of Colin Matthews’ opera A Visit to Friends), and guest engagements with orchestras across the globe including the Real Filarmonica de Galicia, Queensland Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, National Radio Orchestra of Romania, Turku Philharmonic, Gavle Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa and the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. She has recorded for the BBC, ABC, and Decca Classics labels.

In the 2025-2026 season, Cottis will appear with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Malmo Symphony Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony, Danish Philharmonic and Calgary Philharmonic, and will conduct three programmes with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, including a concert performance of Bizet’s Carmen.