Description
Born and raised in San Diego, California, Jesus Cervantes is a recent graduate of San Diego State University, where he studied with Dr. Pei-Chun Tsai and earned his B.M. in Violin Performance. During his time there, he served as concertmaster of the SDSU Symphony Orchestra, and was the recipient of numerous awards including the Fisch/Axelrod Scholarship, Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Award, and the 2018 Presser Scholar Award. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in recitals nationwide, and currently performs with local organizations such as Opera NEO, Pacific Lyric Association, San Diego City Ballet, and various theatre companies.
Jésus has participated in various national and international music festivals, including the 2017 National Orchestral Institute, during which he recorded an album of American Masterworks for NAXOS (Nominated for “Best Orchestral Performance” at the 2019 GRAMMYS), the Domaine Forget International Music Academy in Quebec, Canada, and the Indiana University String Academy. He has been fortunate to work with some of the world most esteemed violinists in masterclasses and lessons, including Noah Bendix-Balgley, Gil Shaham, Midori Goto, Ray Chen, and Paul Huang. Additionally, he has been a prizewinner in the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus’ Young Artist Competition, Grossmont Competition, SDSU Concerto Competition, and the ASTA (American String Teacher’s Association) Competition. He was a national finalist in NAMM’s 2015 SchoolJam USA competition in Anaheim, and received the Judge’s Choice award for his performance.
Jesus is equally passionate about performing and teaching, and is excited to be joining the Villa Musica team to continue spreading the gift of music to his students. His goal as a teacher is to nurture artistic and personal growth through music by providing a comfortable learning experience that targets each students’ individual needs.
