Ari Evan

Born and raised in New York, cellist Ari Evan recently completed his Artist Diploma at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapelle in Belgium, under the tutelage of Gary Hoffman.

During his time in Europe, Ari maintained a varied and active performing career. Solo highlights include a performance of Haydn D with Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Vienna Concert Orchestra, and a recital at Flagey. Ari was featured on the Chapelle’s landmark Cesar Franck CD, recording his first three piano trios with Frank Braley. Especially fond of string quartets, Ari served as guest cellist of the Quatuor MONA, performing in the Paris Philharmonie, and toured with the internationally acclaimed Rolston String Quartet through Europe, Canada, and the US. He also served as guest principal cellist with Belgium's Ataneres Ensemble. 

A versatile chamber musician, Ari has performed with many of the world’s pre-eminent artists, including Itzhak Perlman, Shumel Ashkenasi, Corina Belcea, Colin Carr, Miriam Fried, Gary Hoffman, Hsin-Yun Huang, Ani Kavafian, Robert McDonald, as well as former members of the Cleveland and Artemis Quartets. He often performs music of living composers--having world-premiered works by Augusta Reed Thomas, Philip Lasser, and Pieter Schuermans—and worked with Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Zorn, Eric Montalbetti, Kinan Azmeh, George Lewis, Thierry Escaich on their own compositions.

Many of the relationships Ari cultivated through chamber music have led to CD recordings—he is featured on the Alpha Classics, DUX, MSR Classics, and Sono Luminus labels. He has also played with many of New York’s premiere ensembles, working with the Metropolis Ensemble, New York Classical Players, Music from Copland House, Frisson Ensemble, and Exponential Ensemble. Additionally, he serves as the co-founder and artistic director of the Forest Hills Chamber Music Series, which he founded in 2019 to bring works by under-represented Jewish composers to his hometown of Forest Hills.

A passionate educator, Ari has coached chamber music at Juilliard Pre-College since 2016, and held a cello faculty position at the Opus 118 School of Music during the 2017-18 academic year. He has also served as guest artist faculty at the Heartland Chamber Music Festival in Kansas (2021), and the Merit School of Music in Chicago (2017), where he led chamber music masterclasses. His philosophy as a private teacher is to adapt his style to suit the individual needs of each student, and to always strive to help every student connect with their innate love of music.

Ari was a member of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect from 2018-2020, and studied with Timothy Eddy at the Juilliard School, where he received his Master’s Degree in 2017. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, where he graduated with honors.