Jeremías Sergiani-Velázquez, Principal Second Violin

Violinist Jeremías Sergiani-Velázquez has performed classical, contemporary, and tango music around the world. As soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, he has been heard in 16 countries across four continents. In 2021, he was appointed Principal Second Violin of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Born in Córdoba, Argentina, a teenage Jeremías’ big break nearly got him expelled. While he had finally been accepted to study with violinist Fernando Hasaj, Jeremías needed to commute to Buenos Aires—a 20 hour round trip by bus which forced him to miss multiple days of school at a time. When threatened with losing his musical education, the young violinist underwent rigorous study to attain his high school diploma at 15, freeing himself to focus on music as his love.

His hard work paid off. Eventually plucked out of Argentina to join the New England Conservatory and later The Juilliard School, Jeremías quickly developed a deep orchestral resume: he was a member of both the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Chicago’s Grant Park Symphony, toured extensively with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and has served as concertmaster of the New York Classical Players. Throughout his career, Jeremías has been invited to the world’s most elite summer festivals, including the Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Taos, Kneisel, Aspen, and Schleswig-Holstein. He is an Artist Faculty member of the Charles Ives Music Festival.

Outside the orchestra, Jeremías remains an active chamber musician. In 2021, he made his Weill Hall debut performing works for violin and piano by Florence Price alongside Yannick Nézet-Séguin as part of The MET Orchestra Chamber Ensemble concert series. He made his National Sawdust debut with contemporary violinist Miranda Cuckson and is a founding member of the Frisson Ensemble—with whom he was featured in NPR’s Performance Today. Jeremías is also a member of the NYC—based Sonora Collective, a musicians collective that creates vibrant performance experiences in special venues and art installation spaces. Holding close to his Argentinian roots, Jeremías enjoys playing tango. He is a founding member of the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet, winners of the 2018 Latin GRAMMY® Award.

In 2016, following the previous year’s devastating earthquake, Jeremías joined the acclaimed violinist Midori in Nepal for a benefit string quartet tour of refugee camps, hospitals, and schools, culminating in a performance at the United Nations in Kathmandu. Later in 2017, the same group would conduct a quartet tour across Japan, with feature performances in Tokyo’s Oji Hall and Osaka’s Phoenix Hall.

After picking up his violin at the age of 3, Jeremías first toured his home country as a soloist at 10, and returned to win First Prize at the Argentine Hebrew Foundation Competition. He owes much of his great fortune to the violinist Miriam Fried who, upon their meeting at a music festival in Brazil, encouraged a young Jeremías to study with her at the New England Conservatory, where he received his Bachelor of Music. Jeremías holds additional degrees from The Juilliard School (M.M.) and the Manhattan School of Music (P.S.C.) and is also deeply grateful to his other primary teachers: Ronald Copes, Glenn Dicterow, Lisa Kim, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Fabricio Valvasori.

He is based in New York City, where he lives with his fiancé, the flutist and social media influencer Katherine “katieflute” Althen, and their Havanese dog Miguel.