Described as “true talent” by Christophe Huss of Montreal’s Le Devoir, Jason Pegis started cello lessons at age 16 and quickly improved after becoming passionate about the instrument. Jason holds a Bachelor’s of Music from Willamette University where he studied with Jason Duckles and Valdine Mishkin, and a Master’s of Music full fellowship from McGill University where he studied with Matt Haimovitz. Jason received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Cello Performance and was a strings department teaching associate at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music.

While at Willamette with the Waller Piano Trio, he was a part of the first chamber group from Oregon to become national finalists of the 2014 MTNA Young Artist Chamber Music Competition. He has seen much success in solo competitions as well — in 2013 and 2016 winning the Willamette University Concerto Competitions, and in 2015 winning the Eugene Symphony Young Artist Competition and Outstanding Cellist Award. He also received the 2016 Zodiac Music Festival Young Artist Award, numerous instrumental awards from Mu Phi Epsilon, grants from the Williamson Foundation for Music, and an 1880 Neuner-Hornsteiner cello loan from the Carlsen Cello Foundation. In 2017 he performed as a finalist in the McGill Concerto Competition, and held a principal cellist position of the McGill Symphony Orchestra. Jason has performed chamber music with artists like Johannes Moser, Axel Strauss, Victor Fournelle-Blain, Neal Stulberg, Denis Bouriakov, and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, for the Dilijan Chamber Music Series concert. Jason was nominated and selected as a fellow for the 2020 Piatigorsky International Cello Festival. Some highlights of his previous year with the UCLA Armenian Music Program included touring the US, Canada, and Armenia premiering works as a member of UCLA’s VEM Quartet, as well as performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with UCLA’s Symphony Orchestra.