Tema Watstein
violin

Violinist Tema Watstein is pursuing her Masters Degree in Contemporary Performance at the Manhattan School of Music, where she frequently performs with Tactus new music ensemble. She recently graduated from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music magna cum laude with a BM in Violin Performance.

A major advocate of contemporary music, Tema twice received the Sviatoslav Richter Fund for Music Outreach, with which she began an annual outdoor new music concert series in Houston called "Around Hear." She attended the Lucerne Festival Academy, performing under Pierre Boulez, and has played with both the SYZYGY and Da Camera chamber music societies of Houston. She looks forward to performing with Metropolis Ensemble this coming January. This past spring, Tema performed a recital of entirely commissioned premiers; she has worked with numerous composers, including Steve Mackey, Paul Moravec, Chen Yi, and Ellen Taaffe Zwillich.

An active soloist, Tema has performed with numerous orchestras throughout New England, twice including the New England String Ensemble, once along side Marc O'Connor. Tema has served as concertmaster of the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra as well as the Tanglewood Music Center Festival Orchestra for the past two summers under Kurt Masur and Robert Spano. This June, she will return to Tanglewood as a New Fromm Player. Her most recent musical interests include improvisation and bluegrass.