Guitarist, composer and visual artist, Jessica Ackerley expands the lines between avant-garde jazz, contemporary classical, and ambient music, Ackerley has distinguished their musical voice across 25 releases as a bandleader with acclaim from publications like Pitchfork, BBC Radio, Wire Magazine, among others, making multiple critics’ year end lists.
As an independent artist, they have self-booked over 100 concerts and toured extensively as a guitarist throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, and performed at noteworthy venues and festivals such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Met Breuer, Bang on a Can LOUD Weekend (Mass MoCA), The Stone, Roulette Intermedium, Earshot Jazz Festival, and Coastal Jazz Festival.
Having expanded their artistic practice to composing four years ago, they have collaborated with Unheard-Of Ensemble, Brightwork, Tony Arnold, HYPERCUBE, and Clara Kim. They have been commissioned by Bang on a Can, NYSFA, Continuum (Toronto), Adult Swim, Mutual Mentorship, and New Music USA; awarded funding from Canada Council for the Arts and Foundation for Contemporary Arts; nominated for the prestigious Academy of Arts and Letters Music Composition Award; and attended residencies at Banff Center for the Arts, Gugak Center, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Arctic Circle Residency.
