Ismar Gomes

An accomplished orchestral and chamber musician, Ismar Gomes has performed with the Lancaster Symphony, the Harrisburg Symphony, and the Towson New Music Ensemble. He serves as Assistant Principal of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony and Principal of Bel Cantanti Opera.

Mr. Gomes has commissioned and premiered many works by emerging composers and is the dedicatee of a solo sonata by Pulitzer-Prize- nominated composer, P. Kellach Waddle. He has performed throughout the US and Europe, including two tours of the Netherlands in addition to concerts in France and Canada. Most recently he has performed at the Kennedy Center, Severance Hall, Amsterdam City Hall, Château de Fontainebleau, Harris Hall, and the Smithsonian.

Apart from his endeavors as a modern cellist, Ismar has enjoyed cultivating his broader interests, among them the cello’s performance history. As a baroque cellist, Ismar has been guided by Arthur Haas, Jeanette Sorrell, and Gwyn Roberts, in addition to private study with John Moran of REBEL, and René Schiffer. He has performed with the Baltimore Baroque Band and the Baroque Orchestra at Stony Brook.

Ismar savors every opportunity to pass along what he has learned working closely with the Vermeer and Jerusalem Quartets, as well as with members of the Cleveland, Juilliard, Brentano, Emerson, and Tokyo Quartets. With such a wide-ranging scope of interests – including studies in early music, period performance, and adventures in commissioning and premiering works – he has developed a unique and broad-based approach to both performing and teaching. He has taught privately as well as coached chamber music in Cleveland, Baltimore and New York and spent summers coaching chamber music at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Summer Festival. Most recently, Ismar taught a Masterclass for undergraduate cellists at Stony Brook University.

Originally from Cleveland, Ismar has participated in major festivals including Aspen, Bowdoin, Toronto Summer Academy, and the Zeist Music Days, where he has had the opportunity to play for the likes of Janos Starker, Steven Doane, and Paul Katz.

While earning both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, Ismar was a student of Alison Wells and Amit Peled. Prior to his work at Peabody, Mr. Gomes was a student of Marc Johnson - cellist of the Vermeer Quartet - at Northern Illinois University. Currently pursuing Doctoral studies at Stony Brook University, Ismar is a student of Colin Carr.

Mr. Gomes performs on a Gand Freres cello made in Paris, 1852.