Tommy Mesa and Olga Kern

Tommy Mesa and Olga Kern are playing the SECU Auditorium in the East Building of the North Carolina Museum of Art on Friday, October 16. It's a cello and piano recital, part of Chamber Music Raleigh's Sights & Sounds on Sundays series, which is now in its 85th concert season.

Mesa is a Cuban-American cellist who's spent a lot of time in the spotlight lately. He picked up a 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant and The Sphinx Organization's 2023 Medal of Excellence, and he's performed as a soloist before the Supreme Court of the United States four times. In 2022, he gave the world premiere of Jessie Montgomery's cello concerto Divided, and this past February he put out his second solo album, 17(67), on Azica Records. He also recently joined the cello faculty at the Manhattan School of Music.

Kern is a Russian-American pianist who first made a name for herself as the first woman in more than 30 years to win the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. She's known for her power and for interpretations that lean into the musical side of things rather than just the technical. The two are touring together as a duo, and they're planning a studio recording to follow.

It's a rare pairing that brings two solo careers together on the chamber stage. The concert starts at 7 PM, and tickets are $31 for general admission, $28 for members, and $23 for students.