Tommy Mesa & Milana Strezeva

Cuban-American cellist Dr. Tommy Mesa has established himself as one of the most charismatic, innovative, and engaging performers of his generation. The recipient of Lincoln Center’s 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Sphinx Organization’s 2023 Medal of Excellence, its highest honor, Mesa has appeared as soloist at the Supreme Court of the United States on four occasions and with major orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Indianapolis, Madison, New Jersey, San Antonio, and Santa Barbara, among others. Mesa gave the world premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s cello concerto Divided in 2022 and has been the exclusive soloist since, performing at major halls across the United States and Brazil including Miami’s New World Center, Nashville’s Schermerhorn Center, and Carnegie Hall. His orchestral recording debut of the work was released in July 2023 on Deutsche Grammophon.

In addition to serving as Artist in Residence with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in the 2024-25 season, orchestral highlights this season include debuts with the Delaware, Glacier, and Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestras as well as the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, a return to the Madison Symphony, and a performance of the rarely heard Lucid Dreams by Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock with the Windsor Symphony. Last season Mesa celebrated enthusiastic performances with the Calgary and Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestras and the Ann Arbor, Columbus, Greenwich, Knoxville, Quad City, and Reading  Symphony Orchestras, among others.

“[Milana Strezeva] Technically fluid, dramatically convincing, and sonically full-bodied supportive collaborations.” – Boston Globe

Milana Strezeva is an accomplished pianist, founding member of the Manhattan Piano Trio, and co-founder of the Grand Piano Series.  Milana’s experience as a stellar performer and strategic arts executive has come together at the Grand Piano Series, where she has demonstrated an innate ability to foster collaborations and contribute positively to community enrichment through music.

Under Milana’s excellent stewardship and an unwavering commitment to artists, the Grand Piano Series has grown and flourished since its founding in 2016.  As President and Artistic Director of the organization for the past eight years, Milana has demonstrated a meticulous approach to cultivating fiscal health and innovative growth, garnering admiration across Southwest Florida and beyond.

Critics have praised Milana for her “technically fluid, dramatically convincing, and sonically full-bodied supportive collaborations” (Boston Globe). At the age of 11, she began playing chamber music with her clarinetist father and her mother, a renowned soprano, Svetlana Strezeva. Milana’s love for family collaboration eventually grew into a passionate advocacy of vocal and instrumental chamber music.

A founding member of the award-winning Manhattan Piano Trio, one of the most creative and dynamic ensembles in America, Milana has performed in more than 30 American states, in Australia, South Africa, and Italy, and venues such as Alice Tully Hall (Lincoln Center), Merkin Hall (Kaufman Music Center), and the Ravinia Festival (Chicago).  The Washington Post described the Trio as “impressive” and “outstanding,” while the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said, “One seldom is privileged to enjoy the music of such a wide range of styles performed with self-effacing skill and relaxed assurance.”

Milana has received her training at The Juilliard School as a student of Bella Davidovich and Julian Martin.