"Mills played [Messiaen] as if he'd just received it from some distant, vast and magnificent reach of the cosmos."
- Washington Post
Two-time Grammy nominated violinist Jesse Mills enjoys performing music of many genres, from classical to contemporary, as well as composed and improvised music of his own invention.
Since his concerto debut at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, Mr. Mills has performed throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has been a soloist with the Phoenix Symphony, Colorado Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, Juilliard Chamber Orchestra, Denver Philharmonic, Teatro Argentino Orchestra (in Buenos Aires, Argentina), and Aspen Music Festival's Sinfonia Orchestra.
As a chamber musician Jesse Mills has performed throughout the U.S. and Canada, including concerts at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, the Metropolitan Museum, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Boston's Gardener Museum, Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, and the Marlboro Music Festival. He has also appeared at prestigious venues in Europe, such as the Barbican Centre of London, La Cité de la Musique in Paris, Amsterdam’s Royal Carré Theatre, Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan, and the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels. Mills is co-founder of Horszowski Trio and Duo Prism, a violin-piano duo with Rieko Aizawa, which earned 1st Prize at the Zinetti International Competition in Italy in 2006. With Ms. Aizawa, Mills became co- artistic director of the Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival in Colorado in 2010.
His Horszowski Trio, acclaimed “lithe, persuasive” (The New York Times) and “eloquent and enthralling” (The Boston Globe), has become a vital force in the international chamber music world since their formation in 2011. In 2019, they made their sold-out London debut presented by Wigmore Hall followed by a successful 21- concert tour of Germany. In 2023, the “Horszowski Trio Prize” was created by the prestigious Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, to encourage the next generation.
Mills is also known as a pioneer of contemporary works, a renowned improvisational artist, as well as a composer. He earned Grammy nominations for his performances of Arnold Schoenberg's music, released by NAXOS in 2005 and 2010. He can also be heard on the AVIE, Koch, Centaur, Tzadik, Max Jazz, New Focus and Verve labels for various compositions of Webern, Schoenberg, Zorn, Wuorinen, and others. As a member of the FLUX Quartet from 2001-2003, Mills performed music composed during the last 50 years, in addition to frequent world premieres. As a composer and arranger, Mills has been commissioned by venues including Columbia University’s Miller Theater, the Chamber Music Northwest festival in Portland, OR and the Bargemusic in NYC. He has continued his work as an improviser, releasing a recording of original compositions on the New Focus label in 2020, Endangered Quartet: Heart (for saxophone, violin, trombone, bass), to critical acclaim.
Jesse Mills graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School in 2001. He studied with Dorothy DeLay, Robert Mann, Itzhak Perlman and Naoko Tanaka. Mr. Mills lives in New York City, and he is on the faculty at Longy School of Music of Bard College and at Brooklyn College. He is often invited to teach and judge competitions at institutions such as New England Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, Yale School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, the University of Michigan, Kneisel Hall, Bowdoin Festival and Fischoff National Competition.
In 2010 the Third Street Music School Settlement in NYC honored him with the "Rising Star Award" for his accomplishments. He also received the "Achievement Award" from the Chamber Music Center of New York in 2023.