Concert Program
IVES | The Unanswered Question
JUAN DAVID OSORIO | El Paraíso según María (The Paradise According to María)
ARTURO MÁRQUEZ | Danzón No. 2
DVOŘÁK | Cello Concerto
Lee Mills, conductor
Thomas Mesa, cello
Ticket Information
Prices: Gold $65 / Red $40 / Green $20
Students tickets $10
Youth 17 and under free with an accompanying adult
Biographies
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Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony and winner of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2020, Lee Mills is internationally recognized as a passionate, multifaceted, and energetic conductor. In his previous position as Resident Conductor of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, he led performances hailed as having a “sonority of unequalled liveliness and quality,” working alongside such artists as Simone Porter, Conrad Tao, Eliane Coelho, and the Smetana Trio.
In addition to his work with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony, he has also led concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra (USA), the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In 2014, Lee was the Assistant Conductor to David Robertson for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the USA.
The League of American Orchestras selected Lee for the 2018 Bruno Walter National Conductors Preview where he conducted the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and in 2017, Lee was selected as a semifinalist in both the International Conducting Competition Sir Georg Solti and the Opera Royal de Wallonie-Liege International Opera Conducting Competition. In addition, he conducted alongside Maestro David Robertson in the highly acclaimed U.S. Premiere of John Cage’s Thirty Pieces for Five Orchestras with the Saint Louis Symphony.
Through his project Vibe Sinfônica, initiated in 2018 in partnership with nightlife producer The Week Group in São Paulo, he has brought classical music to thousands of new listeners through performances in contrarian settings. In their inaugural performance, Vibe Sinfônica performed music of Vivaldi at The Week Group’s 14th anniversary in São Paulo, playing to a crowd of over 10,000 EDM fans and opening for DJ Offer Nissim. The growing project also featured in a video clip of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the nightlife producer.
At the invitation of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Music Director Marin Alsop, he received the prestigious BSO-Peabody Institute Conducting Fellowship in 2011. Under the tutelage of Gustav Meier and Marin Alsop, Mr. Mills received his Graduate Performance Diploma and Artist’s Diploma in Orchestral Conducting at the Peabody Institute. He was a conducting fellow at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen during the summers of 2012 and 2013, working closely with Robert Spano, Hugh Wolff, and Larry Rachleff. Mr. Mills graduated cum laude from Whitman College, where he began his conducting studies with Robert Bode.
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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); 2017 Astral 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, Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. Highlights for the 2021/2022 Season include the world premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Divided for solo cello and orchestra at most major venues across the U.S., the premiere of MIRAGE for cello and orchestra by Andrea Casarrubios with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and curating and performing three of their chamber music concerts, and multiple recording projects released on all streaming platforms. Recently, Thomas was featured as the cover story of the September/October, 2020 issue of Strings Magazine.
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 made in 1820. This cello was used to record soundtracks for the first movies ever created.