Biography
Violinist Tessa Lark is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance. Increasingly in demand in the classical realm, in 2020 she was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category. She is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky, delighting audiences with programming that includes Appalachian and bluegrass music and inspiring composers to write for her.
Following a busy summer that saw her perform with New York’s Carnegie Hall Citywide, La Jolla Music Society SummerFest, and the Ravinia Festival, among many others, highlights of Lark’s 2023-24 season include the world premiere of Carlos Izcaray’s Violin Concerto – written for her – under the composer’s baton with the Alabama Symphony; and concerts with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker marking both her European orchestral debut and her first performances of Gang Chen and Zhanhao He’s Violin Concerto, “Butterfly Lovers.” She reprises Michael Torke’s violin concerto, Sky – also written for her, and the 2020 recording of which earned her a Grammy nomination – with Oklahoma’s Signature Symphony and the Sarasota Orchestra; returns to South Carolina’s Greenville Symphony, the Virginia Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic and England’s City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; and performs as a chamber musician in duos with double bassist Michael Thurber and jazz guitarist Frank Vignola.
Read moreReviews
Review: The Stradgrass Sessions
Doug Deloach, Songlines
June 2023
“Lark tore up the stage with her fiddling and climbed mountains of technical challenges like a breath of fresh air.”
“The Stradgrass Sessions’ – one of the more evocative album titles of late, conjuring late-into-the-night laughter, whiskey and musicians just having a grand old time…. The album’s highlight is Edgar Meyer’s Concert Duo for violin and bass, for which Lark is joined in performance by the composer. It’s a remarkable sound world, full of quiet, angular funk…. Her sound is bright, with no-nonsense attack and clarity of note. Sparing vibrato, combined with a gorgeously harmonic approach towards intonation, makes for a wonderful warmth on her Maggini of c1600.”
“It was one of the most glorious visual moments I have ever witnessed at a concert. Tessa’s rich tone led the way as she joined the divine musical landscape…Tessa brings forth a “humankind” in her playing that envelops you in the warmth of her Kentucky roots. She gently sways, as if her movements will gradually awaken everything around her. She exudes a graciousness that welcomes you to join her in the exploration of the music. Her sound is rich, yet always maintains an underlying purity.”
“Although I heard both performances of the Schachter concerto, I could have easily wished for a half-dozen more. This is a beautiful work with layer after layer of intriguing moments that appear and then vanish ephemerally—much like the cycle of life itself. Lark’s performance with Demirjian and the orchestra was simply stunning.”
Gallery
Contact
Alison Heather - General Management
[email protected]
+44 (0) 7754 523450
Alison Heather - North American Orchestral Booking Representative
[email protected]
+44 (0) 207 957 5812
Romana Jaroff - North American Recital Booking
[email protected]
+1 212 994 3518