Jesse performs on Show 461.

Jesse Krentz (cello), 16, is a Seattle native and is currently in the tenth grade. He began his cello studies at the age of six with his father and teacher, Kevin Krentz. Jesse has been surrounded by cello all of his life as his father, step-mother, grandfather, and sister all play.

Jesse made his concerto debut in Benaroya Hall with the Seattle Youth Symphony at age 12 and has since performed with the Bellevue Symphony, the Eastside Symphony, and the Northwest Philharmonia.

Jesse has won prizes at the MTNA National Junior Strings Competition, Seattle Youth Symphony Concerto Competition, the Slava International Cello Competition, the Radda Rise International String Competition, the King’s Peak International Competition, the Bellagrande International Music Competition, the Vivo International Competition, The New York Classical Music Competition Grand Prize, The Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside, including the Special Judges Award, and the Simon-Fiset Strings Competition. In 2021, Jesse performed a solo concert in the park as part of the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Music in the Parks program.

Jesse loves to make music with others at the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Academy, where his coaches have been Efe Balticigil, Elisa Barston, Rachel Lee Priday, Paige Roberts-Molloy, and Inon Barnatan.

In 2023, Jesse performed in his first professional concert with the Second City Chamber Music Series in Tacoma in solo and chamber music roles. He has also been a member of the Seattle Youth Symphony since age nine.

In his free time, Jesse enjoys exploring the waters of Washington State, fishing with his family from the San Juan Islands to the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River, pickleball, basketball, and both real and fantasy football. Jesse also enjoys listening to music, cooking, sharing his music and practicing on his Instagram: @Jesseplayscello