Award-winning singer Jess Hitchcock is an Indigenous performer, composer and singer-songwriter with family origins from Saibai in the Torres Straits and Papua New Guinea. Over the last 6 years Jess has been touring with Kate Miller-Heidke as her backing vocalist around Australia and in 2019 was with Kate at the Eurovision song contest in Israel. The end of 2019 saw Jess tour with Paul Kelly and Kate Miller-Hiedke on Paul’s Making Gravy Tour. Jess was a featured artist in Paul Kelly’s set, leading to the release of the track they sung together, ‘Everyday My Mother’s Voice’, and their collaboration on Channel 9 and Frontier Touring’s Music From The Home Front. Jess was part of MFTHF in 2021, singing a duet versions of ‘Sorrento Moon’ alongside Tina Arena.
For the last 10 years Jess has worked as a teacher, composer and artist with Australia’s Indigenous opera company Short Black Opera. The role of ‘Alice’ created in SBO’s Pecan Summer was Jess’s debut professional opera production. She received a Broadway World award for best supporting actress in an opera for her creation of this role at the Sydney Opera House, 2016. This role led to working on Opera Australia’s production of The Rabbits, for which she was awarded a prestigious Green Room Award for Best Female in a supporting role also in 2016. In 2021 Jess played the role Tjatjarang in Victorian Opera’s new commissioned work Parrwang Lifts the Sky composed by Deborah Cheetham.
Jess was the 2019 recipient of the Smuggler of Light, Indigenous Music and Media Award presented at the APRA Professional Development awards. Jess is currently working on a new album alongside some of Australia’s best producers.