Thea Mesirow is an NYC-based cellist with a diverse musical background and a passion for balancing teaching and performing.
A strong advocate for new music she is a member of The Nouveau Classical Project, a founding member of CMA and the Ditson Fund grant recipients Quartet121, and one-half of Berrow Duo. Hailed as “hypnotic” and “engaging” by Cleveland Classical, Berrow Duo has been presented by Montreal Contemporary Music Lab, the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, the 2018 NYU Music Conference, the SENSE Concert Series, and the Mise-En Place Curator Series. Described as “a magnet for world premieres” (New York Music Daily), Quartet121 is passionate about working with emerging composers, promoting equity, and expanding its stylistic range to reach wider audiences. In 2020 they held their first Call for Scores and received submissions from countries around the world. The three pieces chosen as winners were recorded and released as an EP with accompanying video in summer ‘21. Quartet121 is supported by the Alice M. Ditson Fund and Chamber Music America’s Ensemble Forward Grant. As part of New Music on the Point’s alumni grant program, they were selected to curate a concert in NYC in spring ‘22.
As a soloist and collaborator Thea has worked with composers such as Antoine Beuger, Reiko Füting, Michael Pisaro, and Sofia Gubaidulina and regularly performs at venues throughout New York City including Roulette, Lincoln Center Atrium, and National Sawdust. Her 2019/2020 season included the Actualizing Communities project, performed in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Dusseldorf. Created in collaboration with composer and performer Aaron Foster Breilyn, the Actualizing Communities project is an attempt to demonstrate the effect that community, audience, and space have on the performance of contemporary music.
A musician who began her training in a public school music program, Thea has a passion for teaching and working with programs that give back to the community. Along with holding a private studio, Thea currently teaches with the Harmony Program and the Washington Heights Community Conservatory. As a soloist and as a member of The Nouveau Classical Project and Quartet121 she has held workshops with students at universities such as Columbia University, Tulane University, and Manhattan School of Music, among others.
Thea received a BFA from California Institute of the Arts where she studied with Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick. She completed her master's at the Manhattan School of Music in May of 2017 where she studied with Fred Sherry. She is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at NYU and studies cello and pedagogy with Marion Feldman.
