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Hailed as “very expressive” by the Boston Music Intelligencer, cellist Jacob MacKay has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.  In 2014 and 2016, he toured as part of the Palestine Sacred Music Festival and the Ramallah Orchestra, performing throughout Israel and Palestine and leading workshops in United Nations refugee schools.  He played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. as part of the Millennium Stage’s 2019 Conservatory Project, and in 2018 was the featured artist for Classical Impromptu’s “Rising Star” series in Key West, Florida.  Jacob has been closely mentored by the Ciompi and Lydian String Quartets, and performed alongside the Apple Hill String Quartet and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble.  Jacob graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University in 2016 with degrees in Environmental Studies and Cello Performance.  He was a Leonard Bernstein Music Fellow and a recipient of the Coffey Award and Fisher Prize.  In 2019, Jacob received a master’s degree in Cello Performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, having studied with Norman Fischer.  Jacob is the Resident Cellist and Education Director at the Newport String Project, and serves on the faculty of Salve Regina University, St. George’s School, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School.