Featured Composer: Jessica Buford

Jessica Buford comes from a musical family.  She began studies on clarinet in her home state of West Virginia before settling in North Carolina where her love for literature led her to earn a degree in TESL and Applied Linguistics.  Now she sings with the Winston Salem Symphony Chorale and studies Composition as a college senior with Kenneth Frazelle at UNCSA.  She has also pursued studies at the Siena Summer Music Festival and the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Intensive. 

Jessica’s musical inspirations come from a wide range of sources, including gospel, jazz, contemporary classical and rock.  She is currently preparing her senior recital and composing a set of songs about coal miners for soprano Lindsey Kesselman.  “The men and women within the coal mines of West Virginia align the occupation with their very identity -- their inherent determination, the pursuit of a better life for their families than they had. My grandfather worked in the mines for 44 years, and that relentless dedication is something I hope They were Miners will faithfully capture.”

 Jessica's work on SoundCloud:

 To see a score of Jessica's song The Vulnerable Venerable, click on the image below: