Misha Bjerken is a bassist from Ithaca, New York who is currently completing his masters degree under Todd Seeber at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA. In Boston, Misha is a member of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Plymouth Philharmonic and New Philharmonia Orchestra. He additionally performs with the New Haven Symphony as a substitute player. As a soloist, he performed Koussevitsky’s Double Bass Concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the Ithaca High School Symphony Orchestra. He has attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Domaine Forget International Music Festival and the Heifetz International Music Institute. He will be attending the Tanglewood Music Center and performing at the Spoleto Festival USA in the summer of 2024. As a chamber musician, Misha has played in Mayfest, Cornell’s International Chamber Music Festival, and performed Ligeti’s Chamber Concerto in Boston Symphony Hall as a part of the BSO’s Ligeti Centennial celebration in 2023. Recent performances include Bruckner’s Symphony no. 9 with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and playing electric bass in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s “Blood on the Floor” conducted by Stefan Asbury.
As a bassist, Misha strives to expand the instrument’s versatility through different genres by performing in jazz, classical, bluegrass, and folk ensembles. He hopes to help grow the double bass repertoire for students and professionals alike. He wants to not only add music for the bass to the classical repertoire but to make classical music more accessible to younger audiences. He believes that writing and performing new music for the double bass and other previously underrepresented instruments is one step in revitalizing the importance of classical music in American culture.
Mayfest 