Violinist Evan Pasternak joined the San Diego Symphony in summer 2022. A graduate of Yale College with a BA degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Mr. Pasternak completed his graduate degree at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the tutelage of Grigory Kalinovsky.
Previously, Mr. Pasternak performed with Symphony in C and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. He twice attended the Tanglewood Music Center festival as a violin fellow, and he toured with the National Youth Orchestra, performing throughout the U.S. and China.
Mr. Pasternak has served as concertmaster of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, the Yale Symphony Orchestra and the Yale Undergraduate Chamber Orchestra. He was first prize winner of the 2018 Music House International Concerto Competition. As soloist, he has performed with the Yale Undergraduate Chamber Orchestra, the World Alliance Chamber Orchestra, the New York Concerti Sinfonietta and the New Jersey Youth Symphony.
Mr. Pasternak’s mentors include Hirono Oka, Kyung Yu, Aaron Boyd, Wu Jie and Deborah Buck. He participated in masterclasses with David Ying, Sheryl Staples, Stefan Milenkovich and Laura Frautschi, and he studied chamber music with members of the Juilliard, Pacifica, Argus and Rolston Quartets.
In his spare time, Mr. Pasternak enjoys running, cooking and reading, especially nonfiction. He looks forward to becoming part of the broader San Diego community in his first years with the Orchestra.