Jesse Holstein

NBSO Concertmaster

Jesse Holstein, violinist, attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he studied with Marilyn McDonald before moving to Boston to continue his studies with James Buswell at the New England Conservatory. Prior to Oberlin, Jesse studied violin with Philipp Naegele in Northampton, Massachusetts. He is an active recitalist, orchestral and chamber musician, and currently concertmaster of the New Bedford Symphony. 

In recent summers, he has attended the Bravo Festival in Vail Colorado, the Montana Chamber Music Festival in Bozeman, the Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport, Maine, and the Apple Hill Festival in Sullivan New Hampshire.  While an undergraduate, Jesse taught for the Oberlin Preparatory Program in the Lorain, Ohio public schools. Also at Oberlin, he served as Assistant Concertmaster and later as Music Director of the Royal Farfissa Disco Juggernaut, Ohio's only disco classical ensemble.

Proudly a Suzuki baby, he began his violin studies with Diana Peelle.  Currently, Jesse is a teacher and resident musician for Community MusicWorks and is a member of the Providence String Quartet, who is the quartet in residence for the program.   Providence String Quartet concerts in the last few seasons have included the Mendelssohn Octet with the Borromeo Quartet at the RISD Museum in Providence, the same work with the Miro Quartet at Brown, an appearance with the Turtle Island Quartet in a benefit concert for Community MusicWorks, the Brahms Piano quintet with Jonathan Biss and an appearance at the Getty Museum of Los Angeles. 

Community MusicWorks is a youth and family mentoring program that provides free instruments, lessons and a variety of programs for youth in urban neighborhoods in Providence.  They have recently been selected as one of the nation’s top 50 after-school arts programs in the country by the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanities and were featured in the New Yorker Magazine.