We are heartbroken to to report that our kcbass longtime faculty member Dr. Jessica Valls has passed away suddenly. We had just had her at the kcbass workshop this past July. The KCBassfest proudly celebrates our dear Jessica Valls (over a decade on the kcbass faculty) at the KCBassfest concert Thurs June 25th, 2026 featuring Mikyung Sung and Szymon Marciniak with special Guests Krista Kopper and Maggie Ryan @Grace and Holy Trinity church in Kansas City, Missouri. 6pm.
On behalf of KCBass faculty, students, Volunteer helpers, and concert attendees I want to send a message of Love and celebration of our Dear kcbass faculty member Jessica Valls. The collective hearts of her bass family in KC go out to her family and friends during this time. We all are with you from Kansas City.
She gave all of us such a wonderful gift of teaching, performing and amazing supportive positivity every summer when she came to Kansas City for the past decade. I can’t tell you how many times after the workshop the students would mention something about her first out of so many other faculty. She did so much for so many of us and we all are lucky to have her in our hearts.
When I first met her we discussed how important it is to actively address the gender disparity in the bass world by showcasing inspiring non-male artists and teachers like herself – and she just showed up, shined her light, and never missed one of our events. I helped her and encouraged her to start a young bassists workshop which led to Austin Bass workshop that was done with great care for the youngest of bassists in Mind. This is that part that I want to shout out about Dr. Jess…She was a true champion of the student that needed the most encouragement. Jessica was an amazing performer of course but, it is rare to find someone so in tune with this aspect of having the power of performance and using it for the good of the young and inexperienced.
We are heartbroken that she was called away to the big concert hall in the sky so soon. We have her Laughter, positive comments and theatrical voice mixed with her amazing bass tone in our memory. We celebrate you Jessica everyday we play our bass. Vibrations are forever!
Bass Love-Johnny Hamil _Kcbassworkshop Administrator
Jessica Valls, beautiful, elegant, fearless, funny…loving. Every person that got to meet her or hug her, or love her was richer for it. She made my heart laugh!!! Who has that gift?- Lloyd Goldstein (lifetime Kcbass faculty)
Jessica Gilliam-Valls was truly a ‘force of nature.’ She was an absolutely fearless performer — singer, bassist, actor — whose bigger-than-life persona filled every room with an unabashed exuberance. She was dramatic and powerful, sweet and hilarious, uplifting and sensitive. Jessica was one-of-a-kind and she will be long remembered and deeply missed by all those who encountered her luminous, inspiring spirit. – Hans Strum (lifetime Kcbass faculty)
In Memory of Jessica Valls
Bass Teacher · Mentor · Friend
About Jessica there are not many words that can describe her but one thing that I can say about her is she is a kind, caring, and adventurous role model. She was a great teacher and bassist, she taught many difficult skills in a way that makes it easy to understand. One thing in particular is how well she taught me the bow hold, it has stuck with me.
I didn’t know her for too long but I still knew her well. I was her host for bass camp years of 2024 and 2025 since she didn’t live in Kansas City. She was pretty social and always knew how to make someone laugh. She was a very talkative person in a good way, which kinda reminds me of myself. So thinking about the fact that we are both people who like to conversate with one another, we got to know each other well in a short period of time.
I remember at Bass Camp 2025 my dad and I went to pick her up at the airport and she had commented on how different I had looked from the last time she had seen me, but she still looked exactly the same. It’s hard to put this into words but she meant a lot to me even after only knowing her for two years. It doesn’t take that long to form a deep bond, at least not for Jessica and me.
She was like family to me. I thought of her as a grandmother. The day that I was told she had passed, I went to my room and just cried and held the keychain she had given me at the most recent bass camp. It is a small silver teddy bear and on its belly it says Texas since she had lived there.
Right before I was told of her passing, my mom got me my favorite meal from my favorite restaurant, and it took me about eight months to be able to eat it again because it was a reminder of my recent loss, our loss. I didn’t know how to cope with the loss of one of the funniest, most kindhearted people in my life. As soon as she would start talking to someone, her bright spirit and cheerfulness would rub off on them.
To summarize this: she was a kind, bright-spirited person with so many stories to tell, someone who went way too soon. A person who I am sure everyone in this room will miss. I know I will.
— Aurora Bernstrom
For more info: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/…/jessica-gilliam-valls…
Double bassist Jessica Valls is an Austin, Texas-native musician who exemplifies the ubiquitous artistry of a true music lover, heeding to no one genre, discipline, or stage.
Performing regularly with several orchestras including the Austin and San Antonio Symphonies, Jessica is previous principal bassist for Orquestra da Rádio e Televisão Cultura in São Paulo, Brazil, and enjoys traveling to Brazil to perform and teach. She appears with chamber ensembles, jazz, tango and bluegrass bands, in studio recording sessions, on film soundtracks, television and radio jingles, and popular festival stages around the world such as The International Festival at Round Top and Encontro Brasileiro de Contrabaixos in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
Jessica is a regular guest artist and clinician at the North Texas Bass Camps, the Austin Chamber Music Workshop, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, and the Victoria Bach Festival, among others.
A repeat presenter at the International Society of Bassists Convention, Jessica’s solo performances can be multi-instrumental, vocal and percussive. The use of multi-media tools allows her to expand her repertoire and adhere to different performance venues; adding to the growing pool of new works for solo double bass.
Formal studies include Juilliard, Oberlin, The Manhattan School of Music and the University of Texas at Austin where she completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2010.
Currently Dr. Valls is on faculty at Southwestern University, Huston-Tillotson University, The Girls’ School of Austin and maintains a private studio of budding string players of all ages.
Double bassist Jessica Valls is an Austin, Texas-native musician who exemplifies the ubiquitous artistry of a true music lover, heeding to no one genre, discipline, or stage.
Performing with orchestras including the Austin and San Antonio Symphonies, Jessica appears with chamber ensembles, jazz, tango and bluegrass bands, in studio recording sessions, on film soundtracks, television and radio jingles, and popular festival stages around the world. She is currently on a repeat US tour with the Grammy award-winning choral group Conspirare.
Jessica is a regular performer and clinician at the North Texas Bass Camps, the Austin Chamber Music Workshop, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, and the Victoria Bach Festival and is the founder and director of The Austin Bass Workshop, now in its fifth year.
Jessica’s solo performances can be multi-instrumental, vocal and percussive. The use of multi-media tools allows her to expand her repertoire and adhere to different performance venues; adding to the growing pool of new works for solo double bass. Her free improvisations can elicit audible reactions from her audiences using humor and sometimes wild theatrics.
Dr. Valls teaches at Southwestern and Huston-Tillotson Universities, the Austin Community College and maintains a private studio of bass players of all ages.