The recipe for compelling composition

Multi-disciplinary artist and composer Jessica McMann crafts performances to ignite the senses. In her recent performance for January's Instrumental Stories, she didn't just perform – she orchestrated an intricate concert of sound and visuals. 

An audience member after the event described the evening as "overwhelming joy". 

Like a master chef layering spices to concoct a spectacular dish, Jessica intricately weaves together diverse elements to create a captivating multi-media experience. Blending pre-recorded compositions with live music, Jessica unveiled her ever-expanding repertoire, a rich tapestry of melodies, videos, images, and narratives. 

Adding ingredients in a specific order, or soundscapes, each composition was a grouping of looped elements - layers of sound which combined vocals, keyboard and five different flutes. It was a sensory adventure—a snap of a twig echoing through a forest, the warmth of sunlight dancing on skin at dawn, the thunderous gallop of buffalo across the plains. 

For Jessica, composition is deeply personal—an intimate expression of her innermost thoughts and emotions. 

"I struggle to write for other people, because I find it's hard to give away something of yourself," says Jessica. "My compositions are so personal, which sometimes make them hard to perform."

She watches the audience rather than the screen, as we play a recording of a recent collaboration with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Like someone excitedly watching another unwrap a gift, Jessica's eyes sparkle with anticipation. Pleased with our reaction, she gazes back at the screen, her hand conducting absentmindedly as she watches the video playback with us.

Through her music, she invites listeners to embark on profound journeys of introspection and discovery, exploring themes of home, identity, and inclusivity.

She eschews external influences, preferring to channel her own experiences and reflections into her music. Her compositions are a testament to her quest for connection and belonging, each note a poignant reflection of the poetry and music she finds in the natural world. A recipe for another wonderful evening of Instrumental Stories.