Bio

Lauded as “vibrant” and “gifted” (Chicago Classical Review), Filipino-American cellist Ezra Escobar made his solo debut at age 16 with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago and has since made appearances with the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Young Steinway Concert Series, Evanston Chamber Music Festival, Chicago Rush Hour Concerts, Lake Forest Civic Orchestra, Waukegan Chamber Music Society, the EstOvest Festival in Turin, Italy, on Chicago’s WFMT radio station, and collaborated with Victor Asuncion, Renaud Déjardin, Naomi Berrill, Francesco Dillon, Claudio Pasceri, kora virtuoso Ballaké Sissoko, and jazz clarinetist Ken Peplowski.

Ezra has performed at venues such as Symphony Center in Chicago, Roundhouse, Alice Tully Hall, Pritzker Pavilion, Ladbroke Hall, Museum of the Home, Outhouse Gallery, and the Ravinia Festival. He serves as the cellist of the Jasmine Quartet, a London-based string quartet dedicated to expanding the reach of classical music beyond traditional demographics through repertoire that reaches across genres and cultural boundaries. The quartet, who have been mentored by the Marmen & Ligeti quartets, Simon Rowland-Jones, & Cecily Ward at the RCM and supported by the Hinrichsen Foundation, were the recipients of the Helen Just & Susan Connell Prize and the Sacconi Quartet Prize as winners of the RCM String Quartet Competition and will make debuts at Folklore Hoxton, Karamel, St. Mary Abbots Church, Concerts for Charity London, and the Albion Up Close concert series in the 25-26 season.

Ezra is a resident artist of the Fil-Am Music Foundation, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting exceptional Filipino classical musicians through scholarship assistance and performance opportunities. With the Foundation, he has presented the U.S premieres of works by Filipino composers such as A.J Villanueva, Gabriel Mendoza, and National Artists of the Philippines for Music Antonino Buenaventura, Lucrecia Kasilag & Lucio San Pedro. As a composer, his works have been performed throughout the USA, the UK, and Australia, notably in his hometown of Chicago at Symphony Center and the Ravinia Festival.

Ezra studied with Tanya Carey, Marcy Rosen, Hélène Dautry, and Alexander Chaushian at the Music Institute of Chicago, Mannes School of Music and the Royal College of Music. While at the RCM, he won top prizes in both cello and composition. Additional studies include masterclasses with Johannes Moser, Alisa Weilerstein, Hans Jensen, Timothy Eddy, Marc Coppey, Colin Carr, & Eric-Maria Couturier.

Teaching Info

Ezra is a skilled teacher with a wealth of experience teaching children and adults in various settings. At the core of his teaching philosophy is an emphasis on the development of a strong, reliable, and practical technical foundation while preserving individual musicality and a positive and exploratory mindset. Students are guided towards achieving their own personal highest standard of cello playing and a fulfilling, healthy relationship with their instrument, regardless of their skill level. As a performer who has engaged with various genres of music outside classical, including jazz, contemporary, and popular music, a diversity of musical influences are incorporated with the aim of making instrumental learning modern, inclusive, and exciting.

Ezra has taught and led workshops for children ages 0-18 privately and through multiple community music programmes such as the Royal College of Music Sparks programme, the Tri-Borough Music Hub, the Heifetz International Music Institute PEG programme, and the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory Young Music Scholars. As a part of the Jasmine Quartet, he has presented chamber music workshops for pupils ranging from nursery to Year 9 at King Solomon Academy & Leighton Park School.