Meet Tesia Kwarteng: Singer & Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tesia Kwarteng and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tesia, how do you think about risk?
A career is the arts is in itself a complete risk. Nothing is secure or guaranteed and it takes a lot of courage to choose this path, though most of us I think would say it chose us. To me, risk keeps us on our toes and can help us to fully learn how to trust ourselves. Even though it can be scary, the rewards we gain after taking a risk can fuel us to keep going.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am Ghanaian-American and typically, children of African immigrants are only given the option to become a doctor, lawyer or engineer. Thankfully my parents saw and nurtured my creative talents and have been along for the ride! I’ve now had the pleasure of being a part of two Grammy Winning classical albums the most recent being Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera and the other is Ask Your Mama:12 moods for Jazz written by Laura Karpman which I performed at the Apollo Theater alongside the late great Jessye Norman. I’ve been performing my whole life and I started training classically at age nine, which has ultimately led me to where I am now. My first recital ever in my life was at Carnegie Hall and as a child, I had no idea how significant that was. in 2019, I was selected as a Top 30 under 30 pioneer by the Future of Ghana publication and I hope to inspire others to pursue their gifts and callings. Choosing an artistic career is difficult in and of itself but one of the hardest things to me is truly listening to yourself and making decisions that you know are the best for you. There are lots of voices that will tell you what you should and shouldn’t be doing and while some of it is 100% valid, you also have to sift through a lot of noise. It’s so important so show up fully as your authentic self because that is where the magic lies.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love good food so we’d definitely be going to eat at Jacob’s Pickles, BLVD Bistro and Fette Sau. For a sweet treat we’d hit up Milk Bar. For good live music and/or a night of dancing we could go to Ginny’s Supper Club and The Shrine. For something outdoors we could walk around up in The Cloisters or people watch in Washington Square Park. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am thankful that I have such an amazing tribe full of supportive, amazing and loving people! Shoutout of course to my Mom, Dad and Sister for their unwavering and constant support and encouragement and for always keeping me humble. I’d also like to shoutout my very first voice teacher Mrs. Myrna Rettegi who gave me such a solid foundation to build on.

Website: www.tesiakwarteng.com

Instagram: @tesiatee

Twitter: @tesiatee07

Facebook: @tesiatee07

Youtube: youtube.com/msmusictechnology