Dacha Thurber

Dacha Thurber ’25 is an award-winning violinist from New Hampshire, delighted to serve as MSO’s assistant music director. His solo and orchestral performances have brought him around the world, notably to Bachfest in Leipzig and to the Royal Palace in Belgrade. He believes in the power of music to inspire social harmony, and his interactive concerts for youth have also brought him to schools across the United States, Australia, Russia, Haiti, and China. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Dacha and his brother, Sava, produced and streamed over 85 short programs aimed at a young audience to spark joy and a love for music in turbulent times. In 2020, Dacha was awarded the Robert Hardt Memorial Award for outstanding musical achievement by the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. In Harvard College’s class of 2025, Dacha is studying music and computer science. He is a violinist in the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and an avid chamber musician. Dacha is also a violin coach at the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. Dacha currently studies with Daniel Chong of the Parker Quartet. He has previously studied with Eva Gruesser of the American Composers Orchestra, Louise Kandle, and Theresa Carr. Musical mentors of his include Federico Cortese, Malcolm Lowe, and John Holland. In addition to music, Dacha loves cooking, birding, and sailing.