Jessica Pavone

New York-based violinist and violist Jessica Pavone makes music that combines improvisation and composition and is inspired by both classical music and avant-garde jazz. Pavone studied classical music and music education at the Hartt School of Music, then briefly taught public school in Hartford, CT. Along the way, she met a number of improvisers and composers from nearby Wesleyan University, many of whom studied with Anthony Braxton. She first appeared on record in 1998 with the Middletown Creative Orchestra, a collective mostly run by Wesleyan students. The following year she appeared on the Correspondence Quartet's massive Live Performances, 1999, along with Jackson Moore, Seth Dellinger, and Jeremy Starpoli. Then, in 2001, Pavone's own Peacock label released Jessica Pavone & the String Army, which featured her along with an ever-changing group of bowed string players. Her 27 Epigrams, a collection of short pieces for small ensembles including viola, various wind instruments, and marimba, was released in 2002.