Jess Chambers is a multifaceted musical artist and film composer based between Aotearoa New Zealand and Nashville. Known for her work as Dream Chambers, she combines her talents as a vocalist, instrumentalist, and songwriter to create captivating compositions using modular synthesizers and a range of ensemble configurations, moving fluidly between narrative scoring and performance-led work.

 Her recent screen work includes scoring the feature film Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, and the television series The Ridge for BBC Scotland and Sky Originals, co-composed with Arli Liberman. Alongside her screen music work, she maintains an active musical practice as both a live performer and recording artist.

She is currently developing new work for modular synthesizer and vocal ensemble with support from Creative New Zealand’s Fellowship Fund, and was a recent recipient of the 2026 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Springboard Award, recognising the exceptional quality of her work, the boldness of her sonic experimentation, and the continued evolution of her practice.

Originally from Aotearoa, Jess first gained recognition through a series of delicate folk albums and collaborative projects including The Woolshed Sessions, Rhian Sheehan and the Upbeats. In 2008, her debut single Island was a finalist for the APRA Silver Scroll Award. The following year, she won the APRA Best Country Music Song Award for Stringing Me Along, while The Woolshed Sessions received a nomination for Best Roots Album at the Aotearoa Music Awards.

Relocating to Nashville in 2012, she became immersed in the city’s underground electronic music scene and sparked a transformative exploration of synthesis, music technology, and experimental compositional practices. Moving away from acoustic guitar-led folk songwriting, she began working with modular synthesizers and her voice, developing a distinctive new sound under the moniker Dream Chambers.

Over the years, Jess has performed extensively, appearing at festivals including Big Ears Festival, WOMAD NZ, and Camp A Low Hum, and supporting acclaimed artists such as Fleet Foxes, Mark Lanegan, Trentemøller, and KT Tunstall. Recent highlights include touring an original live electronic score to the 1922 horror classic Nosferatu across the United States alongside Eve Maret and Belly Full of Stars, as well as a collaborative performance with Nashville-based classical ensemble Chatterbird, which Music City Review described as “a stunningly organic translation of Chambers’ intimate and breathtaking work.”

With a considerable discography encompassing five solo albums and more than a dozen collaborative recordings spanning genres from country to drum and bass, Jess’s music has been widely licensed across film and television, including Top Gear, National Geographic, Outrageous Fortune, and general election campaigns for The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Beyond her creative projects, Jess is a regular guest lecturer at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music and Massey University College of Creative Arts, and co-facilitates Techno Echo, a Te Whanganui-a-Tara-based collective making space for women, trans, and non-binary creatives to explore music technology and experimental sound practice.

Composer enquiries Heard & Seen

Performance enquiries: jesschambersmusic[at]gmail.com