Violinist Tessa Lark is one of today’s most captivating musical voices, praised for her technical command, expressive range, and genre-defying programming. Equally at home in the concert hall and the jam circle, she infuses her classical artistry with the Appalachian and bluegrass traditions of her Kentucky roots.

A Grammy nominee for SKY, a bluegrass-inspired violin concerto written for her by Michael Torke, Lark has performed the work across the U.S., and the recording earned her a 2020 nomination for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Her most recent album, The Stradgrass Sessions, features collaborations with Edgar Meyer, Jon Batiste, Sierra Hull, and Michael Cleveland, and includes original compositions, Bartók duets reimagined for violin and mandolin, and the premiere recording of John Corigliano’s STOMP.

Highlights of Lark’s 2024–25 season included returns to the BBC Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic, a debut with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and recitals for the San Francisco Symphony and UC Santa Barbara. She tours nationwide with a new string trio alongside Edgar Meyer and Joshua Roman, and reprises SKY with several orchestras including Boulder, West Michigan, and Shreveport.

She has appeared with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic, and major U.S. orchestras and festivals including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, Marlboro, and Mostly Mozart. Her discography also includes Fantasy (First Hand Records), Invention (duo album with Michael Thurber), and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with the Buffalo Philharmonic.

A passionate advocate for young musicians, Lark is Artistic Director of Musical Masterworks, was recently named Artistic Director of the Moab Music Festival and is co-host/creative of NPR’s From the Top, and a mentor for the Klein String Competition. She is a graduate of the New England Conservatory and The Juilliard School and performs on a 1600 G.P. Maggini violin on loan through the Stradivari Society.