Tess Varley is a Philadelphia-based violinist who performs with a wide range of orchestras and ensembles. She is Assistant Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Ballet Orchestra, Acting Principal Second Violin of the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra, and a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Delaware Symphony. Tess recently served as Acting Concertmaster of both the Philadelphia Ballet and the Delaware Symphony.Previously, Tess was a member of Symphony in C, the Allentown Symphony, the Stockton Symphony, and the Reno Philharmonic. Her leadership roles include Principal Second Violin of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra and Concertmaster of the National Orchestral Institute Festival Orchestra. She also performed for two seasons with the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra and as a substitute with the New World Symphony in Miami.
An active recording artist, Tess regularly records at Milkboy The Studio and can be heard on An Evening with Silk Sonic by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, featuring the Grammy Award–winning song “Leave the Door Open.” She also performed on Mark Ronson’s disco remix of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for the 2022 Baz Luhrmann film Elvis. As a crossover artist, she has performed with artists including Michael Bublé, Kygo, Childish Gambino, Andrea Bocelli, Journey, Celtic Women, Il Volo, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She also played on the soundtrack for the Oscar-nominated short film The Dam Keeper as part of the Magik*Magik Orchestra of San Francisco.
As an educator, Tess is the orchestra director and violin teacher at Merion Mercy Academy. She has held faculty positions with Settlement Music School’s Music Education Pathways program in Philadelphia and the Urban School of San Francisco, and from 2014–2016 taught violin and chamber music at the Lutheran Summer Music Program at Luther College.
Tess holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University and a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She performs on an 1899 Voller Brothers violin and lives in Havertown with her husband Brenden and two daughters.
An active recording artist, Tess regularly records at Milkboy The Studio and can be heard on An Evening with Silk Sonic by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, featuring the Grammy Award–winning song “Leave the Door Open.” She also performed on Mark Ronson’s disco remix of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for the 2022 Baz Luhrmann film Elvis. As a crossover artist, she has performed with artists including Michael Bublé, Kygo, Childish Gambino, Andrea Bocelli, Journey, Celtic Women, Il Volo, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She also played on the soundtrack for the Oscar-nominated short film The Dam Keeper as part of the Magik*Magik Orchestra of San Francisco.
As an educator, Tess is the orchestra director and violin teacher at Merion Mercy Academy. She has held faculty positions with Settlement Music School’s Music Education Pathways program in Philadelphia and the Urban School of San Francisco, and from 2014–2016 taught violin and chamber music at the Lutheran Summer Music Program at Luther College.
Tess holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University and a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She performs on an 1899 Voller Brothers violin and lives in Havertown with her husband Brenden and two daughters.