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Jesse Colford is a musician and composer who uses a variety of styles and instruments to find expression. Originally from North Andover, MA, he currently teaches at North Andover Music Academy and performs jazz and chamber music in the Greater Boston area. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Saxophone Performance and Composition from Boston University, summa cum laude, where he put on a junior recital and two senior recitals. He has studied saxophone with both Amy McGlothlin and Jennifer Bill, and composition with Rodney Lister. |
Jesse's musical experience began with school ensembles including wind ensembles, jazz bands, marching bands, choirs, and chamber groups. He held section leader positions and was often featured as a soloist. In his high school choir program he was valued as a "theory nerd", naming harmonies and correcting rhythms. Through theory classes and arranging, he developed a voice for composition, which he eventually pursued alongside the saxophone at Boston University.
Since then, Jesse has worked up a catalog of original compositions which reflect his experience with different genres, including classical, jazz and popular music. He arranged an early work, "Sahu", for the Boston University Wind Ensemble, and had parts of his symphonic "Jazz Movements" read by BU's Symphonic Orchestra and ensemble-in-residence Sound Icon. He has written and performed multiple works for saxophone quartet and jazz combo, and continues to write and arrange for other non-academic groups.
Performing as a soloist in The Road Home in Cuernavaca, Mexico, with Voices 21C, Voce in Tempore, and local choirs. August 2018
Jesse believes that music should be accessible and enjoyable to the untrained listener, and that it can be a driving force for compassion and empathy in our communities. He performs as a singer and saxophonist in the nonprofit choir Voices 21C, which spends a week abroad every summer working with communities to encourage global empathy and understanding. He also visited the men’s prison in Norfolk, MA to participate in an Empowering Song class with the inmates, as part of BU’s Prison Education Program, then brought ideas from the experience into public performances in Boston. Jesse hopes to continue community work through music, understanding that genre can be an important element in accessing people’s hearts.
