ABOUT
Lily Stern is a cellist from Santa Monica, California, currently residing in Boston, Massachusetts. She is completing her studies in both music and psychology in the dual degree program at Tufts University and New England Conservatory (NEC), studying under the tutelage of Yeesun Kim. At Tufts, Lily is a National Merit Scholarship recipient. Lily is passionate about all kinds of music, from baroque to modern to non-classical traditions.
Lily has given solo and chamber recitals at music festivals in the United States and internationally, including Fontainebleau Conservatoire Américain, Kammarmusikens Vänner Stockholm, BU Tanglewood Institute, Verão Clássico in Portugal, and Oslo Kammermusikkfestival, where she collaborated and performed alongside the Danish String Quartet.
She has played in masterclasses for renowned artists including Gary Hoffman, Robert Levin, Lynn Harrell, Torleif Thedéen, Anssi Karttunen, Philippe Muller, Ophélie Gaillard, and members of the Ébène Quartet. Through the Pratt Early Music Residency at NEC, she has had the opportunity to work with Guy Fishman, Principal Cellist of the Handel and Haydn Society.
Her most recent large ensemble engagements have been with the Handel and Haydn Society and New England Conservatory Philharmonia, where she led the section as associate principal. Additionally, Lily was a member of the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival Mass Cello Ensemble in 2016, performing alongside renowned artists including Mischa Maisky, Sol Gabetta, Ron Leonard, and Ralph Kirshbaum, among others. Lily is also a member of interdisciplinary/multimedia performance group, Magari Ensemble.
Passionate about community outreach, Lily’s quartet and duo were awarded the Community Performance Partnerships Fellowship at NEC three years in a row. Through this program, she created and performed interactive programs in the Boston community, public schools and elder care facilities. She volunteers her time as a cello teacher for students who would not have this opportunity otherwise through Kenya International Chamber Music Festival. Lily has performed with Street Symphony, an award winning organization that works to uplift and aid the homeless Skid Row community in Los Angeles through outreach and music.
Lily’s love of music coupled with an interest in cognitive science has led her to study the intersection of these disciplines as a research assistant at the Brain and Music Lab at the University of Southern California and Music Cognition Lab at Tufts University. Lily seeks to bridge the gap between music performance and research, integrating her music cognition studies into performance, concert programming, and teaching.
When she is not practicing or studying psychology, Lily enjoys running, playing tennis, cooking, being with friends and spending time with her two cats, Cleo and Pumpkin.