Cellist Thomas Mesa and pianist Dan Le present an emotional and timely recital celebrating an emergence from despair to joy. The program opens with Andrea Casarrubios’ SEVEN (2020), commissioned by Mesa and written as tribute to the essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by Elizabeth Start’s Echoes in Life (2015), a ruminative exploration of bi-culturality which combines Native American influenced melodic elements with Western musical developments. The program concludes with Lydia Jane Pugh’s jubilant Caroline’s Jig (2015), and Beethoven’s transformative Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69.
The concert will be followed by a reception featuring local wines.
In person and virtual tickets.
PROGRAM
SEVEN for solo cello - Andrea Casarrubios
Carolina’s Jig - Lydia Jane Pugh
Echoes in Life - Elizabeth Start
Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69 - L.V. Beethoven
Thomas Mesa, Cuban-American cellist, has established himself as one of the most charismatic, innovative, and engaging performers of his generation. He was the winner of the $50,000 First Prize in the 2016 Sphinx Competition; the Thaviu Competition for String Performance (Chicago, 2013); The Astral Artists 2017 National Auditions; and the Alhambra Orchestra Concerto Competition. He has appeared as soloist with major orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, The Cleveland Orchestra, Santa Barbara Symphony, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
Highlights for the 2021/2022 Season include the world premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Divided for solo cello and orchestra (on tour) at major venues across the U.S., a concerto premiere by Andrea Casarrubios with Indianapolis Symphony, premieres in recital by Carlos Simon and Stephanie Ann Boyd, and multiple recording projects released on all streaming platforms.
Recently, Thomas was the featured cover story on Strings Magazine, September/October, 2020
In the Fall of 2021, Thomas will be the cello professor at The Conservatory of Music at Purchase College (SUNY)
As a recitalist, Thomas has been featured at the Mainly Mozart Festival in Miami, The Academy of Arts and Letters, Bargemusic, University of Miami’s Signature Series, Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, Columbia University, Flagler Museum, Carnegie Hall, two appearances at the U.S. Supreme Court, guest artist at The Heifetz Institute, California Center for the Arts, Meadowmount School of Music, Strad for Lunch Series, International Beethoven Project, Perlman Music Program Alumni Recital, and major universities across the United States.
As a recording artist, Thomas has multiple projects in collaboration with PARMA Recordings, including an album called Division of Memory to be released in 2021 on all streaming platforms. Thomas was featured on the GRAMMY-nominated album, “Bonhoeffer,” with the multiple GRAMMY winning group, The Crossing Choir. He has appeared with them as soloist at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, Longwood Gardens, The Winter Garden, and the Theological Seminary in NYC. Thomas and The Crossing Choir have also collaborated on the U.S. premiere of “Astralis” for choir and solo cello by renowned composer Wolfgang Rihm and have more collaborations/premieres scheduled for future seasons.
As an ensemble musician, Thomas has been on tours with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and is the principal cellist of Sphinx Virtuosi who play every year on tour at almost every major venue across the United States. He is also the cellist of the St. Petersburg Piano Quartet, collaborates with Jupiter Chamber Players, and has toured with Itzhak Perlman both nationally and internationally.
Starting in the Fall of 2021, Thomas will be the cello professor at Purchase Conservatory of Music (SUNY). He has given masterclasses at institutions such as U.C Berkeley, Boston Conservatory, Northwestern University, DePaul University, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, University of Miami, Meadowmount School of Music, Walnut Hill School and has held faculty positions at Sphinx Performance Academy, The Heifetz Institute’s PEG Program, Music Mountain Festival and School, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Montecito International Music Festival, St. Petersburg International Music Academy, The Mozart Academy at John Jay College in New York City.
Thomas Mesa received his BM from The Juilliard School, MM from Northwestern University, and is a doctoral candidate at Manhattan School of Music. His principal teachers were Timothy Eddy, Julia Lichten, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Mark Churchill, Ross Harbaugh, and Wells Cunningham. He has played a gorgeous cello for ten years made by Richard Tobin that was made in 1820. This cello was used to record soundtracks for the first movies ever created.
Hailed by the New York Concert Review as a “brilliant young pianist,” Australian pianist Daniel Le has enjoyed an international career spanning four continents.
After Daniel’s debut with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2015, he was immediately re-engaged for two consecutive seasons. In 2019, he made his debut with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, under conductor Benjamin Northey. Other performances have brought Daniel to venues including Lincoln Center in New York, Melbourne Recital Center, Queensland Performing Arts Theatre, Lyric Theatre in Australia and the Waseda University in Japan. Competition successes include prizes in the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition, Australian National Piano Award, and Kerikeri International Piano Competition. Recently he was the winner of the Manhattan School of Music concerto competition and performed Mozart’s E-flat major Concerto No.22 K.482 with the orchestra.
Daniel is also an active chamber musician and recently won the Fuchs Chamber Music Competition with his duo. He has collaborated with members of the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center. Festival appearances include Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival where he worked with renowned musicians from the Emerson, Brentano, Shanghai and Miro String Quartets.
Currently based in New York City, Daniel is pursuing his Doctor of Piano Performance degree at the Manhattan School of Music as the Ruby Fae Ellenger Overstreet Scholar. Primary teachers have included Andre-Michel Schub, Thomas Hecht, Melvin Chen, Stephen McIntyre, and Rita Reichman.
Daniel was one of 10 semi-finalists in the prestigious 2017 Naumburg International Piano Award and in 2018 was presented with the prestigious Harold Bauer Award as the most outstanding graduating pianist at the Manhattan School of Music.