Ian Jessee
Ian Jessee is an active chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher throughout the United States and Europe. As an educator and pedagogue, he served as Artist is Residence for String Education at the West Virginia Symphony 1998-2018 where his programs consistently received superior ratings and highest honors in regional, state, and national competitions, including a first-place prize at the National Orchestra Festival (2011) at the American String Teachers Association National Conference.
Mr. Jessee served two years as President of the West Virginia Chapter of ASTA, the American String Teacher Association, and served as President for the state chapter of the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC),where he organized competitions and festivals throughout the state of WV. Additionally, Ian served as 1st Vice President for the state chapter of the Music Teachers National Association(MTNA), where he acted as Competition Chair and Young Artist/Chamber Music Competition Coordinator for West Virginia, and was named 2021 WVMTA “Teacher of the Year”. He is also a member of the National Association for MusicEducation (NAfME), the West Virginia Music Educators Association (WVMEA), the Ohio Music Education Association(OMEA), and the Conductors’ Guild. In June of 2021 he was appointed Executive Director of the Huntington Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Jessee earned his bachelor’s degree in performance from the Ohio State University where he studied with Michael Davis. Other principal teachers include Myron Kartman, YfrahNeaman, and Charles Castleman and chamber music studies with Kronos Quartet and Cavani Quartet.
An avid performer, Mr. Jessee performs regularly with the West Virginia Symphony, the River Cities Symphony Orchestra, the Ohio Valley Symphony, and has served as assistant concertmaster and assistant principal viola of the Classical Music Festival in
Eisenstadt, Austria. He has also performed with The Charleston Symphony Orchestra (SC), Seneca Chamber Orchestra (WV), The Chicago Chamber Orchestra (IL), Opera Naples (FL), Atlantic Classical Orchestra (FL), Boca Symphonia (FL), New Hampshire Music Festival, and the Bach & Beyond Baroque Music Festival (NY), In 2018 and 2024 he performed at the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest with the Kismarton String Trio and will return this summer for concerts around Hungary and Austria.
In addition to his many playing engagements he has served on the faculty of the international music festivals Akademi Datça and Klasik Keyifler in Turkey, and the Saarburg Festival in Germany.