Jessica Rudman’s “starkly effective music” (Opera News) inspires empathy for contemporary social issues through stories of myth, magic, and the modern world. Described as a “new music ninja” by the Hartford Advocate, she blends lyrical melodies and dramatic narrative structures with sensual harmony and vibrant color to draw listeners into the world she has created. Her works for the concert hall and stage often differ in musical language with the common thread always being expressivity. She believes that the ability to evoke an emotional response in one’s audience is of extreme importance in our current social, economic, and political environment. 

Rudman’s music has been performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble, Arditti Quartet, Riot Ensemble, Cadillac Moon Ensemble, the Omaha Symphony's Chamber Orchestra, the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra, and others. Honors include winning the Riot Ensemble’s Commissioning Competition, the Boston Metro Opera’s Advocacy Award, the NewMusic@ECU Orchestra Composition Competition, and IAWM’s Libby Larsen Prize. Additionally, Rudman was a 2019 Connecticut Artist Fellow and a 2019-21 Fellow in the American Opera Project’s Composers & the Voice program.

Rudman is an Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory at the University of Utah. She has previously taught at The Hartt School, Central Connecticut State University, Eastern Connecticut State University, and Baruch College. Rudman holds degrees from the CUNY Graduate Center, The Hartt School, and the University of Virginia. Her main teachers include Tania León, Gilda Lyons, Larry Alan Smith, Robert Carl, and Stephen Gryc.