We spoke to conductor and Nonclassical trustee Jessica Cottis about literature, butterflies, and life in lockdown.

What has been your experience of lockdown life so far?

As a conductor, with so much travel and the complexities of working within different cultural contexts often every week, there’s a need to adapt very quickly. Work life runs very fast. Personally, this lockdown has afforded me – for the first time in a really long while – a chance to sleep properly and eat well. It’s a very fragile and worrying time for everyone, and I’m grateful to have a number of projects – whether commissioning new music, mentoring emerging conductors, and learning a new language – as possibilities.

Is there anything in particular helping you get through the week?

Lots of books. Lately I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on regarding colour. Newton, Goethe, Wittgenstein, Albers, Maggie Nelson’s virtuosic Bluets, and Derek Jarman’s Chroma. In the foreword of the latter Ali Smith describes a beautiful conversation with Jarman: “I don’t believe in gold at the end of the rainbow, but I do believe in the rainbow”. Daily routine is also key. Taking our dog for a walk each day is a very grounding act. Every day, we notice little changes in the grasses, trees and flowers nearby. It’s felt uplifting to see the first bursts of spring, of new growth, and white-tailed bumblebees.

Alongside music, I’m fascinated by Lepidoptera. The lockdown has meant all butterfly-related travel has been curtailed, but I’ve had great delight observing a number of Pararge aegeria (Speckled Wood) in the dappled sunlight of nearby Holland Park. The males spiral around, vigorously chasing each other, before resting on low-lying nettles. Here’s one from the other day. Note its nibbled left wing, it’s had a busy life!

What’s been the best meal you’ve cooked in self-isolation, and the worst?

I’ve enjoyed many good meals during lockdown, it's difficult to choose the best. The worst was my overcooked butternut squash risotto. We considered transforming it into congee but it was completely inedible: the rice had disintegrated into glue.

What are three of your essential isolation items?

Soap, internet, and Florian the Boston Terrier.

How has social distancing and lock down affected your ways of listening? Are there sounds you're missing, or are you hearing things you wouldn’t otherwise?

I miss live concerts, and that Pavlovian rush of hearing an orchestra tune up. Here, every quarter hour, the bells of nearby St Matthews gently peal. I enjoy the stillness, and that the birds are singing. Every morning chaffinches, goldfinches, robins, wrens, and nuthatches call out, a joyous fortissimo. A pair of warbling magpies keep us company throughout the day. I’m reminded of a line written by Virginia Woolf to Violet Dickinson: “I can sit by an open window for hours, and hear only birds’ songs, and the rustle of leaves.”

More from Jessica

From Nordic soundscapes to the wilderness of Australia, indulge in a little escapism with this curated Spotify playlist from Jessica.

In 2018 Jessica conducted our 30-piece orchestra in Rise of the Machines #2, a classical club night exploring the influence of computers and artificial intelligence on music.

In this interview she tells us about what she looked forward to, how she prepares for the performance and gives us an outlook on the future of technology and classical music.