Jessica Curry

Jessica Curry was born in Liverpool, attended UCL where she studied English Literature and Languages, then studied Screen Music at the National Film and Television School. She is one of the foremost computer game music composers of her generation.

Together with her husband, Dan Pinchbeck, Jessica collaborated on a number of projects including opera, soundwalks and sound installations. In 2007, they established The Chinese Room, a hugely successful video game design studio where the main focus is on strong narrative storytelling. 

Their first game was Dear Esther, for which Jessica composed the music and Dan wrote the story. Their second game, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs allowed Jessica to create a more interactive score and soundscape. Jessica’s approach to composing is for it to be an integrative process where the music is not simply added on at the end of the game's development process but is central to it.

In 2016 she won a BAFTA for her score for the cult PS4 title Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. Shortly after, Jessica stopped focusing on The Chinese Room. She cited several reasons, one of which was that she felt she could not continue the fight to “prove through talent and hard work and positivity that women have a vital role to play” in the games industry. She went on to work with Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy in 2016 and as a presenter on ClassicFM. In August 2022, her music concluded Prom 21, the first ever Prom dedicated to gaming music.

Jessica’s music has been widely performed in places from The Old Vic Tunnels and The Barbican to Sydney Opera House. Her score for Dear Esther won Best Audio at the TIGA’s as well as a GANG award and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture won soundtrack of the year from MOJO magazine, topping the Official Charts for several weeks. 

Her career extends far beyond composition. She has become widely respected as a broadcaster, writer and advocate within the arts. She developed, wrote and presented High Score for Classic FM, which was the station’s first major programme dedicated to video‑game music. She later created, wrote and presented BBC Radio 3’s Sound of Gaming. She has also contributed to a broad range of radio, television and podcast programmes across major national platforms, including the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 3.

Jessica publicly identifies as a disabled person, a mother, an ally and a feminist. She has always supported and encouraged emerging talent, with a strong commitment to working alongside and championing people from marginalised communities. She has been a consistent advocate for greater inclusivity and intersectionality across both classical music and the games industry. Her impact in these fields was recognised in 2018, when she received the Outstanding Contribution Award from Women in Games for her creative achievements and her efforts to improve industry culture. She was later honoured with an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Abertay University in 2023 for her contributions to music and the wider cultural landscape.