Tessa Lark's most recent news through ancient history
(Thanks to Breakall Photography for the first 4 images on this page)

Posted June 15, 2008

This evening in San Francisco, Tessa Lark won First Prize in the 23rd annual  Irving M. Klein International String Competition.  This year 74 young musicians entered the competition,  representing 11 countries.  Eight exceptional young artists from the United States, China, South Korea, and Spain advanced to the Semifinals, and then three were selected to play in the final round this evening.  In addition to the First Prize, Tessa also won the Allen R. Weiss Memorial Prize for best performance of the new work commissioned for this year's competition.  Tessa will be performing several concerts and recitals as part of the prize, with details to be announced at a later date. Tessa is entering her third year at the New England Conservatory of Music under the guidance  of Miriam Fried.  This summer she will perform in her second season at the prestigious Steans Institute, part of the Ravinia Music Festival in Chicago.  Watch for Tessa in chamber music concerts in July 2008, featuring the Steans young string and piano artists.

 Posted July 1,2007

After completing her first year at New England Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Miriam Fried, Tessa Lark has been accepted to the prestigious Steans Institute for the Summer 2007 session.  Part of the Ravinia Music Festival in Chicago, the Steans Institute is the professional studies program for young musicians.  Watch for Tessa in chamber music concerts in July featuring the Steans young string and piano artists.

Posted March 16, 2006

Tessa Lark wins First Place in the 2006 Johansen International Violin Competition - Audition recordings came from violinists, violists, and cellists from every corner of the globe, and 15 violinists ages 13-17 representing  4 continents  were selected to compete in the semi-finals in Washington, D.C. March 9 and 10.  Winners were announced after 5 violin finalists competed on March 11.   In addition to the monetary award, Tessa also won a solo concert with the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra to be held in September, where she will play the Beethoven Violin Concerto.   Tessa will also be featured in a winners recital at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. in October.  For more information on the competition and link to the press release, click here.


 Posted January 5, 2006

Tessa Lark will perform a solo recital in Richmond, KY on Sunday, January 22, 3- 5 pm, First Presbyterian Church, 330 W. Main Street.   The public concert, featuring several classical works, is sponsored by the Richmond Area Arts Council (RAAC).  Accompanying Tessa will be Sujung Cho, piano.  A native of Korea and doctoral student at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), Ms. Cho is an international piano soloist and 2004 winner of the CCM Piano Concerto Competition.  For tickets or more information, contact the RAAC, 399 W. Water St, 859-624-4242.  The week before the concert, Tessa will bring her violin into the studios of WUKY-FM for the popular program, http://www.wuky.org/html/programs/curtains_eight.htm.   Be sure to tune in Wednesday night, January18, at 8 pm, when host, Nick Lawrence, and Tessa converse and play a little music.  

And

On January 29, 2006, in Werner Recital Hall on the campus of the University of Cincinnati, Tessa Lark will be the featured soloist with the Starling Chamber Orchestra, playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto.  Starling Chamber Orchestra ticket information: click here.


Posted November 27, 2005

On December 7, Tessa Lark will be the featured soloist for the Starling Chamber Orchestra, performing the first movement of the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3, in a benefit concert for The Touchstone Project and Starling Chamber Orchestra, to be held at Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, 7 pm.  Tessa will then assume her role as concertmaster of the Orchestra as they accompany internationally acclaimed violin soloist and recording artist Chee-Yun,  Also performing solos at the black-tie affair will be 3 more very special guest artists, Awadagin Pratt, Piano, Alyssa Park, violin, and Yang Liu, violin.

Posted October 25, 2005

Over the summer, Tessa returned for her 3rd visit to the Mark O'Conner Fiddle Camp near Nashville, Tennessee (and loved it), then headed to China for a month at the Great Wall Academy as a scholarship student at Badaling, China.  Tessa soloed with the Beijing Symphony at the Forbidden City Concert Hall and performed the Mendelssohn Octet with the American String Quartet (along with one other Great Wall student and 2 faculty members).   On November 8, Tessa will be the soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall, and on November 12, Tessa will be soloist and concertmaster with the Starling Chamber Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  Tessa is also anticipating a number of auditions in the coming months as well as high school graduation in May.

Updated November 18, 2004

On Friday, September 17, in New York City, a web site was officially launched, bringing a new violin tradition to the information superhighway.   Tessa Lark was on hand for the event!  The event was of international interest, and has received a great deal of attention, including a recent article in Strad Magazine.  Tessa is featured with other Starling soloists on a new website designed to help violin students of all ages and ability levels.  Check it out, absolutely free!!!
 http://www.violinmasterclass.com/

 

Tessa Lark & Aspen Concert Orchestra, Aug. 4, '04

Tessa Lark with Conductor Peter Oundjian

                                                                        

Posted April  8, 2004

She was among 22 talented and experienced young violinists, and Tessa Lark played beautifully in her very first classical violin competition.  In the Junior Division of the 2004 Yahudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in London, Joel Link took first place with an impressive performance.  With encouraging words from the distinguished judges, including Maxim Vergerov, Miriam Fried, and Mayumi Seiler, Tessa is preparing for a summer at the Aspen Music School and Festival where she has been awarded a New Horizon Fellowship for the 2004 session.  She will also be performaing at Aspen in late June as soloist and concertmaster with the Starling Chamber Orchestra.

At 7 pm on November 11, the widely distributed public radio program, From The Top, was taped before an audience of nearly 2000 people at Cincinnati's Music Hall!  The Starling Chamber Orchestra performed Maurer's Symphonia Concertante for four violins, featuring Tessa Lark and her friends Charles Yang, Su Yeon Lee, and Jonathan Miron.  The program broadcast the first week in January in most cities (check with your local public radio station for exact times in your area or for rebroadcast plans).  Tessa and company also were interviewed by host Chris O'Riley. You won't want to miss it!  AND you can still listen!  To hear the Starling Chamber Orchestra performance on From The Top, including intro and interview, click here.  To check out the whole show, click here, or go to the From the Top web main page here.

With the Starling Chamber Orchestra's 8-concert "World Tour" in February and March of 2003, Tessa soloed Wieniawski's Legende.  To see a cool poster advertising the tour (in German, low resolution version), click here.  A review of their first concert on the tour, which appeared in the Augsburger Zeitung, suggested that members of the Orchestra "seem to have been born in a violin case," and that "Tessa Lark allowed Wieniawskï's  to blossom with grace and charm in shining cantilenas."  Click here for the complete review, translated from German.