Since her concerto debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at age 16, Kentucky native Tessa Lark has performed with orchestras around the country and abroad, playing the 1683 “ex-Gingold” Stradivari violin on generous loan from the Josef Gingold Fund. As part of Carnegie Hall’s Distinctive Debuts series, she performed in 2017 at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, returning last January as part of APAP’s Young Performer’s Career Advancement showcase.   Acclaimed for her range of sounds, technical agility, captivating interpretations and multi-genre programming, Ms. Lark is a recipient of a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant.  She also was a Silver Medalist in the 9^th Quadrennial international Violin Competition of Indianapolis and winner of the 2012 Naumberg International Violin Competition.   Her piano trio, Trio Modêtre, took top prize in the 2012 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Keeping in touch with her Kentucky roots, Ms. Lark also performs and programs bluegrass and Appalachian music.  She plays jazz violin, most recently performing with the Juilliard Jazz Ensemble in New York City.  She premiered her own Appalachian Fantasy as part of her Distinctive Debuts recital at Carnegie Hall, where she also gave the world premiere of Michael Torke’s Spoon Bread, written specifically for her stylistic capabilities.  Ms. Lark has served on the faculty of the Great Wall International Music Academy in Beijing, China and, as a From the Top alumna, is active in their arts leadership program as a performer and educator.   The Lexington Herald Leader praises her “astonishing technical skill...pensive yet playful.”