Violin
blake.espy@project440.org

Born in Savannah, Georgia, Blake Espy started violin at the age of six. He has been associate concertmaster of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and a frequent performer with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. He also spent one summer in Mexico City performing with Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería.

Mr. Espy is a member of La Catrina String Quartet (http://www.lacatrinaquartet.com/Intro.html), now in residence at New Mexico State University. Hailed by Yo Yo Ma as wonderful ambassadors for music, the La Catrina String Quartet is one of the most sought after ensembles on tour today. Their unique blend of Latin-American and standard repertoire has proved enormously entertaining for its diverse audiences, catering to the more traditional concertgoers while still attracting the next generation of listeners. The La Catrina Quartet has a triple mission: to perform the masterworks of the string quartet repertoire, to promote Mexican and Latin American art music worldwide and to work closely with composers in order to promote the performance of new music. The La Catrina Quartet tours regularly throughout the US and Mexico, and has received numerous awards and recognitions.

Recent highlights include their participation in the highly competitive Association of Performing Arts Presenters’ 2007 Young Performers Career Advancement program in New York City, which concluded with a showcase performance of “next generation’s classical music star performers” in Carnegie Hall. For two years, they were the Quartet-in-Residence of the Western Piedmont Symphony in North Carolina. The La Catrina Quartet was also in residence at the Chamber Music Festival of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where they collaborated with the Brentano Quartet, the Poulenc Trio and The Miami Quartet.

In 2007, Mr. Espy was invited to become a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL, a professional studies orchestra whose alumni have gone on to join the ranks of professional orchestras all over the US and the world. In this program he was given the opportunity to act as a rotating concertmaster, chamber musician, and educator to young musicians in the Miami area.

Mr. Espy holds a Bachelor of Music Performance Degree from Western Michigan University, a Master of Music Performance Degree from Louisiana State University and an Artist’s diploma at SUNY Purchase.