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Leigh Mesh

Leigh Mesh, associate principal double bass, joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 1993. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, he began his professional career with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and later played with the Indianapolis and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. He has taught master classes at the New World Symphony in Miami, Cincinnati Conservatory, Juilliard School, and Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Mesh is the double bass coach of the UBS Verbier Festival Youth Orchestra in Verbier, Switzerland. He has been a guest artist with the Verbier Festival, Linton Chamber Music Series, Pensacola Classicfest, Chamber Music Society of Martha’s Vineyard,Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego, and the Salt Bay Chamberfest. Mr. Mesh has performed with the MET Chamber Ensemble, the Caramoor Virtuosi, and the Brentano and Tokyo String Quartets. Mr. Mesh was a faculty member of the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles during the 2009–2010 school year. He joined the faculty of the Bard College Conservatory of Music in the fall of 2010. He lives with his wife, Nancy Wu, associate concertmaster of the MET Opera Orchestra, and their two children, Guinevere and Wolfram, in Pleasantville, New York. He pursues cycling and skiing whenever he can. Mr. Mesh is an exclusive artist for Thomastik-Infeld Strings.

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Shiqi Zhong

Shiqi Zhong is an acclaimed percussionist and DMA candidate at New York University, recognized for his extensive cross-cultural expertise and academic background in percussion. His varied career spans world, classical, contemporary, and popular music, showcasing his versatility and commitment to advancing the art of percussion.

A graduate of the China Conservatory of Music Affiliated Middle School, Juilliard Pre-College, Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, and New York University, Shiqi Zhong’s comprehensive education forms the bedrock of his emerging career. As deputy editor of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) China and board member of the Asian Youth Musician Alliance (AYMA), Shiqi Zhong has made significant contributions to percussion education and outreach. His mentorship has led to the acceptance of his former students into prestigious institutions such as the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard Pre-College, Manhattan School of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory.

An active percussionist, Shiqi Zhong has played with renowned ensembles including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the Composer Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with esteemed conductors such as Leon Botstein, Xian Zhang, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Vladimir Jurowski, and Osmo Vänskä. As a prominent percussion soloist, Shiqi Zhong has received numerous international accolades, including awards from the World Percussion Competition, the Piazzolla International Music Competition, the PAS KoSA Marimba Competition, and the Singapore Chinese Percussion Competition.

In addition to his performance career, Shiqi Zhong is an innovative composer. His works include China’s first electronic music and traditional Chinese percussion piece, The Monkey King’s Havoc in Heaven, as well as Unity, a Chinese Drum Ensemble piece, and Nezha, for solo timpani and drum ensemble. His educational method books, Rhythm Master and Handpan for Beginners, reflect his dedication to expanding and bridging cultures through percussion music.