Devin Cornacchio Cellist from Rochester, NY

Devin began playing cello at the age of ten on Long Island where he began private instruction in 2011 with Suzanne Valerio, who served as the Long Island Philharmonic's Associate Principal Cellist. Devin went on to eventually be honored as the Principal Cellist of both the NYSCAME All-County and NYSSMA Conference All-State orchestras during his junior year of high school, the summer of which he was awarded the Dean L. Harrington Memorial Scholarship at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center by the NYSSSA School of Orchestral Studies. Devin studied cello with Brent Wissick at UNC Chapel Hill, obtaining both a Bachelor of Music degree and a B.S. in Mathematical Decision Sciences. A Kenan Music Scholar, he was one of four recipients — amongst approximately two hundred auditionees — in April 2015 of the Department of Music's premier scholarship for outstanding academic and musical achievement. Through this program, Devin and his colleagues were offered workshops and masterclasses with internationally-renowned performers (most notably John Sharp, Principal Cellist of the highly-revered Chicago Symphony Orchestra), free attendance to world-class classical music performances through Carolina Performing Arts, and the opportunity to combine musical studies with academic coursework at one of the nation's most prestigious research universities. While he acted as Principal Cellist of the UNC Symphony Orchestra, Devin also sang baritone for Carolina Choir and was the Head of Recruitment and Publicity for the choral department's administrative Choir Council. He also played double bass, having performed with Charanga Carolina — the university's premiere Cuban salsa band — and joined the UNC Wind Ensemble in the group's invitation to perform at the CBDNA Southern Division Conference at the University of South Florida. Outside of the Department of Music, Devin served as Music Director of UNC Pauper Players' Performance Troupe, a touring musical theatre ensemble that performs show tunes for nonprofit organizations across The Triangle. He is also the former member of the alternative metalcore band Perimeter, whose EP What Lies Ahead to which he contributed is currently available on all major streaming platforms. Upon graduation, Devin was awarded the Benjamin Swalin Orchestra Award for his significant contributions in artistry and leadership to the university's orchestra program. Soon afterwards, he attended the International Music Festival of the Adriatic where he studied with Dr. Tulio Rondón at UWC Adriatic and performed chamber music in Duino Castle as well as other historic venues in provinces of Trieste and Kropa, Slovenia on the program's highest scholarship. Having since returned home, Devin acted as Principal Cellist of the South Shore Symphony and New Inlet Chamber Orchestra and is currently available for special event booking in the Greater Rochester Area.