John (Jack) Skiera was born on December 7, 1999 in New York City. He is currently a senior at Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York. He joined Boy Scout Troop 94 at age 12 and recently earned the exalted rank of Eagle Scout, with three palms. In 2015, he was elected by his fellow scouts as one of the first members of the Boy Scout honor society, The Order of the Arrow.
Jack is also an accomplished cellist. He began playing the cello in 2006 with Deborah Park as his teacher. He chose the cello after hearing friends of the family play a trio concert and loving its sounds. Jack has played for the school orchestras over the past nine years and was part of the orchestra for the high school musical, South Pacific.
During 2009-2011, Jack was part of the InterSchool Orchestras of New York, having a wonderful experiences playing with ISO at such famous locations as Symphony Space and Citifield, one year as First Chair. Jack has also been a member of the Westchester County School Music Association’s All-County Youth Orchestra since 2010. In 2014, Jack created a trio with friends from school, performing at various open mike and school district events.
At age 11, Jack participated in the Forte International Music Competition, earning “The Best String Technique Award”. At age 13, he participated in the New York International Music Competition held by Korean Radio Broadcasting, earning 2nd Place and performed at Carnegie Hall for the first time as part of the awards ceremony. That same year, Jack also participated in the YWCA Music Competition, earning 2nd Place and again performed at Carnegie Hall. At age 14, Jack again participated in the KRB competition, but this time earned 1st Place, again performing at Carnegie Hall.
Jack has attended the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Program since 2012, to improve his skills and meet new musical friends. In high school, Jack’s favorite classes are science, art and mathematics. In 2016 and 2017, Jack participated in the All-State Orchestra and, in 2017, was one of first from his school district to participate in the All-National Ensemble Orchestra in Orlando, Florida.