Jessica Hort was born in Wollongong, NSW and began playing the clarinet at the age of 12. During her final years of high school, Jess was a member of Wollongong’s Bluescope Youth Orchestra and Camerata Chamber Ensemble, as well as The Sydney Youth Orchestra Philharmonic and Flagship Orchestras. After graduating from The Illawarra Grammar School In 2012, Jess relocated to Melbourne to study the clarinet with renowned musician, composer and educator Paul Dean. During her time there, Jess was a member of the Hopkins Sinfonia and The University of Melbourne Orchestra and Wind Symphony. She was awarded a music scholarship at St Hilda’s College and in 2014 was a Semi-Finalist in Melbourne Youth Music ‘Virtuosity’ Concerto Competition. Jess graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the University of Melbourne in 2015 and attended the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute in Hobart, Tasmania. Jess has since moved to Brisbane where she has completed a Masters majoring in Performance at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University. Jess has recently returned from a month long tour to China with the Australian International Opera Company and she is an active member of the newly formed ‘Aquilo’ Quintet.