Jessica Powell Eig

Praised for her “natural expressiveness” (Montpelier Times Argus), Dr. Jessica Powell Eig has crafted a dynamic and varied career performing on double bass, violone, and viola da gamba. She is a core member of the Washington Bach Consort and, in recent seasons, has also appeared with The Thirteen, IN Series, Washington National Cathedral Baroque Orchestra, Staunton Music Festival, Seraphic Fire, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, Opera Lafayette, New Orchestra of Washington, American Bach Soloists, National Philharmonic, Washington Concert Opera, UrbanArias, and Teatro Nuovo, as well as collaborating on a wide variety of chamber music projects. 

In addition to performing, Jessica serves on the faculty of American University, George Mason University, Levine Music, and the Chamber Music Conference and Composers’ Forum of the East. She has given workshops and masterclasses at the Viola da Gamba Society of America Conclave and the International Society of Bassists Conference. From 2013 to 2016, she served as director of the Viola da Gamba Society of America Young Players Workshop, and her writing on classroom outreach has appeared in Early Music America. She maintains an active private studio and has received grants from Early Music America, the Viola da Gamba Society of America, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council to support her music education projects. 

In 2010, Jessica completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in double bass performance at SUNY Stony Brook as a student of Joseph Carver and Kurt Muroki, where her research focused on the music of Sofia Gubaidulina. She received her earlier training at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the Eastman School of Music, and The Juilliard School. Following the completion of her DMA, she pursued further private studies in historical bass with Rob Nairn. She studied viola da gamba with Christel Thielmann, James Lambert, and Martha McGaughey. 

As a committed advocate for the arts, Jessica shares her expertise as a grant writer and fundraising consultant with many established and emerging arts organizations, and serves as Director of Institutional Giving for the American Composers Orchestra. From 2013 to 2015, she served on the Executive Committee of the Viola da Gamba Society of America as Membership Secretary, and she currently sits on the board of the Viola da Gamba Society of Greater Washington-Baltimore. Jessica is a member of the American Federation of Musicians (Local 161-710), the International Society of Bassists (ISB), and the Viola da Gamba Society of America.