Kessa Mefford Full Biography
Kessa Mefford is an award-winning pianist from the river town of Peekskill, New York. Described as "powerful, disciplined, and profoundly emotional," (Croton Gazette) Kessa was raised in a family of musicians and homeschooled to have adequate time to focus on practicing. Kessa decided as a teenager to pursue piano professionally after their recital debut, when they first became fully aware of the positive impact performing could have on the audience.
Kessa gave their Carnegie Hall debut in December 2022 with a historic program: “Ravel: All of It,” his complete art songs from memory with soprano Kristina Cook. This was first time in history all of Ravel's songs were performed in a single evening. Since then, Kessa has performed “Ravel: All of It” in venues all around the United States with Cook, from universities to libraries to museums to community colleges. Kessa has given masterclasses and lectures at universities on the interpretation of art song and pianist/singer collaboration, as well as lectures specifically on the history and interpretation of Ravel’s songs. In 2023, Kessa gave their radio debut with Cook performing Ravel on New York’s WQXR in a special episode of Young Artist Showcase featuring pianist/singer duos.
Kessa also lectures and presents around the United States as a solo pianist performing the music of Ravel. They have done residencies as a guest artist at universities such as Brigham Young University, Weber State University, and University of Colorado Boulder. Their program “Ravel’s Groove,” an all-Ravel program featuring all of his dance music originally scored for solo piano, saw over 20 recital performances in the Fall 2025 season alone. The season included a special performance in Grand Central Terminal, where Kessa was the only pianist hand selected by Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York to perform an all-Ravel program as part of the Dear New York project.
Kessa has founded two concert series: “Whimsical Birdsong,” based out of New York in which they perform and collaborate with others in presenting the complete works of Ravel that include piano, and "Piano at Noon," based in their hometown of Peekskill as an effort to bring more classical music to the community. Kessa is also a performing artist with the Piatigorsky Foundation, whose mission is to bring classical music to underserved communities all around the United States. Concerto credits include Beethoven’s 2nd Piano Concerto, Mozart’s 23rd Piano Concerto, Ravel's Concerto in G Major, and the world premiere of Dan Montez's Concerto in C Minor.
Coming from a family of musicians, Kessa has also collaborated with their family on a variety of projects. Their father, Dan Montez, is a composer, and Kessa has premiered several of his pieces. Notable premieres include the piano concerto, two piano solos, two chamber works, and four art song cycles, three of which featured text written by Kessa’s mother, Melissa Montez, and two of which were performed with their two siblings, opera singers Ky and Cade Montez.
At the end of 2019, Kessa released their debut album with Whole Note Publishing featuring the live performance of the Beethoven concerto and other solo works by Scriabin, Bach, Menotti, and Scarlatti. Since then, all of their subsequent albums have been focused on the works featured in their Ravel project. Their second album, “Ravel: All of It” was released in 2022 with Kristina Cook, which was the first album to ever feature the complete art songs of Ravel by a single pianist and singer. Kessa’s third album, "Whimsical Birdsong: Live in Concert" was released in 2024 featuring the concertos by Montez and Ravel alongside Ravel's Violin Sonata No. 2. They are currently working on six more albums that feature the rest of the complete works of Ravel that include piano alongside other composers, slated to be released over the next several years.
Kessa received an MM in piano performance from the Mannes School of Music in May 2020, graduating with the prestigious Steinway Award for exceptional pianists with excellent artistry and service to the school and fellow students. Kessa received multiple generous music merit scholarships while studying under Simone Dinnerstein. Through Mannes, they were able to participate in the Neighborhood Classics concert series organized by Dinnerstein. Kessa also performed in several Mannes Sounds Festival concerts, including “Bach’s Footsteps," two years in a row, as well as concerts featuring the works of female composers such as Clara Schumann and Amy Beach. Kessa received a BM in piano performance in August 2017 at Brigham Young University, where they received several academic and music merit scholarships. While at BYU, they studied with Dr. Richard Anderson and Dr. Irene Peery-Fox.
Kessa has participated in countless recitals, concerts, and master classes, and has performed in summer festivals such as Art of the Piano with Awadagin Pratt and the Montecito International Music Festival. Kessa’s master class and coaching opportunities have allowed them to work with renowned pianists including Jon Nakamatsu, Kirill Gliadkovsky, and Marc Silverman. When Kessa is not practicing or listening to Ravel, they are playing Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, or Deltarune, or spending time with their partner of ten years and their two cats.
Kessa gave their Carnegie Hall debut in December 2022 with a historic program: “Ravel: All of It,” his complete art songs from memory with soprano Kristina Cook. This was first time in history all of Ravel's songs were performed in a single evening. Since then, Kessa has performed “Ravel: All of It” in venues all around the United States with Cook, from universities to libraries to museums to community colleges. Kessa has given masterclasses and lectures at universities on the interpretation of art song and pianist/singer collaboration, as well as lectures specifically on the history and interpretation of Ravel’s songs. In 2023, Kessa gave their radio debut with Cook performing Ravel on New York’s WQXR in a special episode of Young Artist Showcase featuring pianist/singer duos.
Kessa also lectures and presents around the United States as a solo pianist performing the music of Ravel. They have done residencies as a guest artist at universities such as Brigham Young University, Weber State University, and University of Colorado Boulder. Their program “Ravel’s Groove,” an all-Ravel program featuring all of his dance music originally scored for solo piano, saw over 20 recital performances in the Fall 2025 season alone. The season included a special performance in Grand Central Terminal, where Kessa was the only pianist hand selected by Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York to perform an all-Ravel program as part of the Dear New York project.
Kessa has founded two concert series: “Whimsical Birdsong,” based out of New York in which they perform and collaborate with others in presenting the complete works of Ravel that include piano, and "Piano at Noon," based in their hometown of Peekskill as an effort to bring more classical music to the community. Kessa is also a performing artist with the Piatigorsky Foundation, whose mission is to bring classical music to underserved communities all around the United States. Concerto credits include Beethoven’s 2nd Piano Concerto, Mozart’s 23rd Piano Concerto, Ravel's Concerto in G Major, and the world premiere of Dan Montez's Concerto in C Minor.
Coming from a family of musicians, Kessa has also collaborated with their family on a variety of projects. Their father, Dan Montez, is a composer, and Kessa has premiered several of his pieces. Notable premieres include the piano concerto, two piano solos, two chamber works, and four art song cycles, three of which featured text written by Kessa’s mother, Melissa Montez, and two of which were performed with their two siblings, opera singers Ky and Cade Montez.
At the end of 2019, Kessa released their debut album with Whole Note Publishing featuring the live performance of the Beethoven concerto and other solo works by Scriabin, Bach, Menotti, and Scarlatti. Since then, all of their subsequent albums have been focused on the works featured in their Ravel project. Their second album, “Ravel: All of It” was released in 2022 with Kristina Cook, which was the first album to ever feature the complete art songs of Ravel by a single pianist and singer. Kessa’s third album, "Whimsical Birdsong: Live in Concert" was released in 2024 featuring the concertos by Montez and Ravel alongside Ravel's Violin Sonata No. 2. They are currently working on six more albums that feature the rest of the complete works of Ravel that include piano alongside other composers, slated to be released over the next several years.
Kessa received an MM in piano performance from the Mannes School of Music in May 2020, graduating with the prestigious Steinway Award for exceptional pianists with excellent artistry and service to the school and fellow students. Kessa received multiple generous music merit scholarships while studying under Simone Dinnerstein. Through Mannes, they were able to participate in the Neighborhood Classics concert series organized by Dinnerstein. Kessa also performed in several Mannes Sounds Festival concerts, including “Bach’s Footsteps," two years in a row, as well as concerts featuring the works of female composers such as Clara Schumann and Amy Beach. Kessa received a BM in piano performance in August 2017 at Brigham Young University, where they received several academic and music merit scholarships. While at BYU, they studied with Dr. Richard Anderson and Dr. Irene Peery-Fox.
Kessa has participated in countless recitals, concerts, and master classes, and has performed in summer festivals such as Art of the Piano with Awadagin Pratt and the Montecito International Music Festival. Kessa’s master class and coaching opportunities have allowed them to work with renowned pianists including Jon Nakamatsu, Kirill Gliadkovsky, and Marc Silverman. When Kessa is not practicing or listening to Ravel, they are playing Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, or Deltarune, or spending time with their partner of ten years and their two cats.