Samantha Jess

Perpetual Consciousness
(2021)

for Chamber Ensemble, Marble Run & Soundscape 32'30"

Perpetual Consciousness revolves around the art of juxtaposition and superimposition. The focus of this work was to create contrasting elements and to witness them together in the same space with the goal of making your own personal connections between the different material.

One stream of consciousness is not perpetual – there is always something to focus on, even if this is silence or a shift of perspective or attention.

• Perpetual Consciousness Clip:

Convulsion Series: I, II & III
(2019-20)

I for Violin, Sine Tones & Film; II for Dancer & Electronics;
III for Orchestra.

This series focused on creating a united experience through a varety of mediums. All three pieces aim to engage the audience in a way that challenges them to personally conclude what ties these works together.

• Link to Video: Convulsion I

• Link to Video: Convulsion II

• Convulsion III Audio Clip:

Five to the Power of Five
(2020)

for Orchestra 5'00"

Written for Trinity Laban's Shapeshifter Ensemble (60-piece Orchestra).

This piece has potentially 3,125 different outcomes.The orchestra is split into five groups: Wind, Brass, Percussion, Harp, and Strings - and the piece is split into five one-minute segments.The date on which this piece is performed determines the order of segments per group.

This piece was an experiment to see if contrasting and complimentary textures come together by chance – even if this does not appeal to my taste, the date dictates the order. Each segment of the piece has their own character, but they’re not strangers to one another.

• Five to the Power of Five Audio Clip (27th March):

Between Doors
(2019)

for Open Score 5'30"

Written for and workshopped with CoMA London. Published by CoMA.

Inspiration for The London Below was taken from the whimsically dark world of Neil Gaiman's novel, Neverwhere. This novel focuses on the thought of falling through the cracks of society, and makes that a very surreal reality for the protagonist. Full of adventure, humour, and peril, this novel gave life to this piece and a sense of motion.

Premiered by CoMA London at Blackheath Halls in March 2019. Second performance by the Apollo Consort at St Alfege's Church in November 2019. Published by CoMA in March 2020.

• Link to Score

• Between Doors Audio Clip:

The London Below
(2019)

for Double Wind Quintet 6'30"

Written for Trinity Laban's Wind Ensemble.

Inspiration for The London Below was taken from the whimsically dark world of Neil Gaiman's novel, Neverwhere. This novel focuses on the thought of falling through the cracks of society, and makes that a very surreal reality for the protagonist. Full of adventure, humour, and peril, this novel gave life to this piece and a sense of motion.

Premiered by Trinity Laban's Wind Ensemble at St. James's Church, Piccadilly, in July 2019.

• The London Below Audio Clip:

The Calm Before the Storm
(2019)

for Chamber Orchestra 10'30"

Finalist in the Daryl Runswick Competition 2019.

The concept of this work was to use orchestration to convey a sense of impatience, apprehension and irritation. One key element is the rise and fall of texture and chordal progression, this was to display the inconsistency of the nation’s standpoint on ‘Brexit’ – which was our theme for 2019's submissions.

Premiered by Trinity Laban's Contemporary Music Group in the Tunnel Shaft at The Brunel Museum, in April 2019.

Audio Coming Soon