Jess Cox is a multi instrumentalist, composer, arranger, co-founder of Q Strings and co-musical director of The Rock Orchestra.
Born and raised in St.Albans where she went to Sandringham school. She began learning the cello at 12 years old having started on the piano and violin. She went on to receive a First Class BA Hons Music degree, specialising in cello and composition and a postgraduate Dip RAM in cello and LRAM.
Since then she has enjoyed a varied career which has seen her travel the world embracing a wide range of musical genres from solo recitals for Cunard to performing in the West End and for The National Theatre.
Cellist with Jeff Lynne’s ELO since 2016, Jess has performed to audiences of more than 20,000 people at venues which include Madison Square Gardens, Wembley Stadium and Hollywood Bowl.
She has made numerous TV and radio appearances and recorded for various films including ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, ‘Dunkirk’, ’Mission Impossible: Fall Out’ and the James Bond film ‘Spectre.’ She has performed live and recorded with artists including: Bjork, Brian Wilson, Ellie Goulding, Cliff Richards, The Specials, Paul Weller, Pete Tong’s ‘Ibiza Classics’ and Ocean Colour Scene Live at Bridgewater Hall with Q Strings.
In keeping with more St Albans connections, Jess had the privilege to work with The Zombies, who formed in St Albans in the early 60s. Jess and her group, Q Strings, appeared with them at their Abbey Road live stream in 2021 as well as recording with them for their up and coming album ‘Different Game’.
As a composer, her music has been used for numerous BBC programmes and she was nominated for a Production Music Award for her Japanese track ‘United’ which was used for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Jess spends a lot of her time currently arranging rock and metal music for The Rock Orchestra, combining classical orchestral instruments with guitar fx pedals, for which she is co -MD and which has taken the UK by storm since its inception during lockdown. Jess is very much looking forward to performing Elgar’s cello concerto with Herts Philharmonia, in her home town in memorial to her late father.
“Jessica Cox doesn’t play the cello, she wields it!” (Union Chapel, London)
