Vincent Meklis, Violin

Biography

Violinist Vincent Meklis, a recipient of a Dorothy Richard Starling Fellowship in Violin, is a prizewinner of several national and international competitions, including the Corpus Christi, Sorantin, and Stulberg international competitions. He has performed as a guest artist with various orchestras, including the Grand Rapids Symphony, and has also performed as a soloist across the United States, including at Chicago’s Symphony Center, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  He has given solo performances in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Czech Republic, and Mainland China. He has performed at music festivals such as the Sarasota and Aspen festivals, and most recently as a recitalist at the International Holland Music Sessions.

An avid supporter of classical music outreach, Mr. Meklis enjoys visiting public schools and educational facilities, exposing school-age children to the violin and classical music in an up-close setting, and has given presentations at events such as WTTW’s Fun and Run event in Lincoln Park.  A native of Chicago, Meklis studied at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy where he was a Rachel Barton Pine Scholar studying under Roland and Almita Vamos. He studied under Thomas and Allegra Wermuth at the Western Springs School of Talent Education where he received a Lawrence and Betty Wermuth Memorial Scholarship, and where he also began his studies under Suzanne Rickman at the age of four.  As a Starling Fellow, Meklis received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, under the tutelage of Distinguished Professor Midori Goto. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Music Degree at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg, Germany, studying under Professor Tanja Becker-Bender and Daniel Röhn.