Violinist Jessica Folson is a performer and teacher in the San Francisco Bay who is currently finishing up her master’s degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Professor Simon James. A native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, she graduated summa cum laude with a B.M. performance degree from St. Olaf College in 2021, where she studied with Francesca Anderegg.
Jessica is a seasoned performer in many areas. As a violinist, she specializes in classical performance, and is involved in orchestra, having most recently subbed with the California Symphony. She also is an avid fan of chamber music, and is a member of the Hayes Trio as well as in the chamber music program at SFCM. She has attended many summer festivals with an emphasis on chamber music, most recently the Credo Summer Music Institute at the Oberlin Conservatory as a fellow in 2022. Jessica has soloed with different ensembles that she has
been a part of as well, including the St. Olaf Orchestra in 2021 and most recently with the Red River HS Orchestra on their tour to San Francisco. While violin is her main focus, Jessica has also played the piano since the age of four, has experience on the viola, and has sung in many
choirs and an a cappella group as a vocalist.
Jessica enjoys teaching, and has taught musicians in private lesson, chamber music, and orchestral settings. She currently teaches at Bird Music Studio and is a string assistant at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco. She has also been a coach at Dal Segno
Chamber Music Camp in Grand Forks, ND, for the past six years. Jessica also has a passion for service through music, and has performed in assisted living facilities, hospitals, schools, homeless shelters, and prisons, on violin, piano, and voice. When she’s not making music, Jessica enjoys reading, going on walks, listening to the birds,
journaling, and spending time with family and friends.