Thomas Mesa Cellist Thomas Mesa is the first place laureate of the Senior Division of the 2016 Sphinx Competition. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School (bachelor of music, 2012) and Northwestern University (master of music, 2014) and is a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher in New York City. He is making his Cleveland Orchestra debut this evening. Thomas Mesa serves as the cellist in the St. Petersburg Piano Quartet. He has toured with Itzhak Perlman both nationally and internationally, and has also collaborated with artists such as Roger Tapping, Andrés Diaz, Barry Shiffman, Miguel da Silva, and Paul Katz. He played at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the United States premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Astralis, for solo cello and choir. He has performed in many noted concert halls and on PBS’s From the Top. Mr. Mesa was recently a semi-finalist at the Naumburg International Cello Competition and has won first place in a number of competitions across the United States. His orchestral experience includes serving as principal cello for Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and for the Juilliard Orchestra. Mr. Mesa currently teaches as a faculty member of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, at the St. Petersburg International Music Academy, and through his private teaching studio in New York City. Thomas Mesa began his musical studies on cello at the age of eleven. At Northwestern University, he was the recipient of the Richard and Helen Thomas Fellowship and given Graduate Program Honors for his work in the String Department. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Manhattan School of Music, studying with Julia Lichten. His principal teachers have also included Hans Jørgen Jensen, Timothy Eddy, Mark Churchill, Ross Harbaugh, and Wells Cunningham. He plays a cello made by Richard Tobin in 1826.
THE SPHINX COMPETITION is a program of the Sphinx Organization, a national arts
organization that focuses on youth and minority involvement in classical music. Held every year in Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan, the competition is open to all junior high, high school, and college-age Black and Latino string players residing in the United States. The purpose of the competition is to offer these young musicians an opportunity to compete under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and to perform with established professional musicians in a competition setting. Its primary goals are to encourage, develop, and recognize classical music talent in the Black and Latino communities. While in Cleveland, Sphinx laureates often assist education and community relations efforts to increase interest, awareness, and knowledge of classical music through school visits in Cleveland and East Cleveland, and presentations at various community sites. Severance Hall 2016-17
Guest Artist
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