Cellist Nicholas Tzavaras takes up directorship role at Brevard Music Center

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The Brevard Music Center (BMC) has announced the appointment of cellist Nicholas Tzavaras to the position of senior director of artistic planning & educational programs, effective 1 June 2024. Tzavaras will be a key member of BMC’s senior leadership team and will direct a department responsible for the planning and execution of all educational programmes, concert performances, and student recruitment and enrollment.

’As an individual who has dedicated my career to music performance and arts education, I am so proud to join the Brevard Music Center,’ said Tzavaras. ’My appearances here working alongside the stellar BMC artist faculty have been among my favourite in my career. Everyone at Brevard is fully engaged with the mission, reflecting the organization’s deep commitment to excellence and to transformative student experiences. And, of course, the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina provides an inspiring backdrop to an institute and festival that continues to grow and distinguish itself in its stature and reputation. I am thrilled to be part of the Music Center’s future vision and world-class legacy.’

’On behalf of the BMC Board of Trustees and artistic director Keith Lockhart, I am delighted to welcome Nick to the Brevard Music Center family,’ said Jason Posnock, president & CEO of Brevard Music Center. ’His dedication to artistic excellence, coupled with his distinguished international career as a concert musician and a respected educator, form the perfect combination of administrative and artistic expertise required to excel in this leadership position. We have enjoyed his presence here as a guest artist with the Shanghai Quartet many times, and I can’t wait to reintroduce Nick to our faculty, students, and the Brevard community in this new role.’

A native of East Harlem in New York City, cellist Nicholas Tzavaras has toured the globe as a chamber musician, soloist, and educator for more than two and a half decades. He has performed over 1600 concerts worldwide, from Cartagena, Columbia to Christchurch, New Zealand. In 2000, Tzavaras became the cellist of the Shanghai Quartet, which is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary. Tzavaras will step down from the Shanghai Quartet at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Formerly on the faculties of the University of Richmond, Montclair State University, and the Longy School of Music, Tzavaras currently serves as the assistant dean of academic affairs, chair of strings, and resident faculty in cello and chamber music at The Tianjin Juilliard School. Tzavaras has also held the position of guest principal cellist of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra since 2009.

Tzavaras music degrees from the New England Conservatory and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Montclair State University. Tzavaras can be seen in the Academy Award-nominated documentary Small Wonders and the motion pictures Music of the Heart and Melinda and Melinda. 

The BMC was founded in 1936 and holds summer classical music training programmes and festivals every summer. Each year, 700 students come to the centre from around the US and abroad to study with the faculty and guest artists.

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