American violinist Melissa White enchants audiences with her “warmly expressive and lyrical . . . glittering” playing (Chicago Classical Review). Her rapid rise as a soloist has captured the attention of orchestras and audiences worldwide, many of whom already know her for her successes as a founding member of the Grammy-winning Harlem Quartet.
In the 2026–27 season, White will be featured with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Lima Symphony, South Florida Symphony, Tuscaloosa Symphony, and Finland’s Kuopio Symphony Orchestra. Last season, she made her debut with the Seattle Symphony; gave the world premiere of Sophia Jani’s Violin Concerto with the Dallas Symphony; and performed with Northwest Sinfonietta and the Columbus, Johnson City, and Mobile Symphony Orchestras. Recent solo recital debuts include Carnegie Hall, Boston Conservatory, Chamber Music Detroit, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Phillips Collection, and Purdue Convocations. She also regularly appears with the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, which tours the U.S. in October, and collaborates at leading festivals such as Festival Napa Valley, Sarasota, Spoleto, and Tippet Rise.
A first-prize laureate in the Sphinx Competition, White has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra; Boston Pops; Louisville Orchestra; and the Atlanta, Baltimore, Colorado, Detroit, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. Internationally, she has appeared as soloist with the Graz Philharmonic, Czech National Philharmonic, Filharmonia Dolnoslaska, Cape Town Philharmonic, and Colombian Youth Orchestra. Her film credits include the soundtrack to Jordan Peele’s psychological thriller Us, and she has performed alongside pop artists including Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, and Lauryn Hill.
White is a founding member of the Harlem Quartet, where she has performed in many of the top venues in the United States, U.K., Europe, Africa, and Japan since its 2006 founding. The Harlem Quartet’s 2013 recording with Chick Corea and Gary Burton, “Mozart Goes Dancing” earned a Grammy Award, and they received one again in 2024 for “Passion for Bach and Coltrane,” with Imani Winds, A.B. Spellman, and a jazz trio. In 2025, the Quartet earned its first Latin Grammy nomination for “Havana meets Harlem” with Cuban pianist-composer Aldo López Gavilán.
White currently serves on the faculty at New York University and at the University of Buffalo. She is also the co-founder of Intermission, a groundbreaking program uniting yoga and music.
White is represented worldwide by Dinin Arts Management & Consulting. She is incredibly grateful to be playing a c1780 Ferdinando Gagliano violin, currently on loan from Strumenti.
Melissa White will perform with TŌN on October 17, 2026.
Bio: Oct 2026