Patrice Jackson-Tilghman

Associate Professor
pjackson4@berklee.edu
Telephone
617-747-6373
Personal Websites
Patrice Jackson's website

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Patrice Jackson is carving a name for herself as a gifted and charismatic soloist. The Detroit News has described her as a “big-toned, boldly projected soloist” and the Hartford Courant complimented her “effortless facility, playful phrasing, and a sense of spontaneity that one hears usually only from the highest caliber of musicians.”

Since winning the Sphinx Competition in 2002, Jackson has performed with multiple symphonies, including those of Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, New Jersey, and Milwaukee, as well as with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She made her international orchestral and recital debuts in South Africa in 2002. Highlights of her 2018–2019 season include performances with the Boston Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Conservatory Recital series, an orchestral performance at New England's Jordan Hall, and debuting with the musical Jagged Little Pill at Boston's A.R.T.

Jackson has been a student of Janos Starker, Aldo Parisot, Joel Krosnick, and Bonnie Hampton. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York and the Yale School of Music in New Haven, and is currently associate professor of cello at Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Career Highlights
  • Performed in the Broadway musical Jagged Little Pill and Jesus Christ Superstar on NBC
  • Performances with Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, and Nikki Minaj
In Their Own Words

"I'm the product of two educators who taught me the need to set a standard for common understanding and respect on day one. Also, my teachers did not take any nonsense. That’s something I pass on to my students. But having high expectations doesn't mean you can’t enjoy what you do. I try to be the kind of teacher who balances high expectations and having fun."

"I've played classical repertoire since I was little. Some think that if you play something often enough, it could become boring or repetitive. But every time I play a concerto, I find something new. And I ask myself, 'How can I relate to this audience? How can I play this part differently?' If I do that, then the audience will respond."

"As a cellist, I'm a well-established classical soloist, but I've also done everything else: performed in the hip-hop world; toured with a rock band; and worked with Mark O’Connor, an amazing Appalachian bluegrass fiddler. I do pretty much everything, so whatever students come to me wanting to learn how to do, I say, 'I can show you that.'"

"I want my students to walk away knowing they have done the best they can do. I also want them to be open-minded and understand the need to have the best facility they can have on the cello, no matter what style of music they play. I don't want them to pass up a gig because they 'don’t know how to do that.' I've done that. Then I figured out I could do other things—and I realized that's what keeps a roof over your head and food in the refrigerator."