The Cello Sherpa Podcast

The fastest way to get better is not a secret scale system or a new bow hold. It’s learning how to think like a musician who can last. We sit down with cellist Natasha Brofsky, chair of the Juilliard School cello department, to trace the real arc of a life in music: early obsession, world-class training, hard choices about career paths, and the daily mindset that keeps artistry alive under pressure.
We talk about growing up in New York City, studying with influential teachers, and why she chose Eastman instead of following a pre-set route. Natasha shares wh...

Your audition might win you the seat, but your day-to-day behavior decides whether people actually want to sit next to you for the next 20 years. The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, is joined by cellist Jennifer Humphreys, currently with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, to talk about the orchestra etiquette music school rarely teaches: the quiet, practical choices that signal professionalism the moment you walk on stage. From the “fake five” being in your seat early to simple introductions that build instant trust, we dig into what colleagues notice right away.
We also get specific about section life...

Thirty years in the principal chair can look effortless from the audience, but it rarely feels that way from the stage. We’re joined by cellist Carter Brey as he steps back and takes stock of a remarkable run leading the New York Philharmonic cello section and why he’s choosing to retire at the end of the season while his playing still feels strong.
We get into what most people never see: how long it can take to truly feel “at home” in a top orchestra job, how you learn to handle pressure and politics without losing your mus...

You’ve heard of side-by-side concerts, but what happens when adult amateur musicians don’t just drop in for a night, they move into the orchestra for an entire week? We sit down with conductor Nicholas Hersh to unpack the Baltimore Symphony Academy, a rare program where participants rehearse and perform shoulder to shoulder with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra musicians in a true “fantasy camp” for orchestra lovers.
We talk through what the week actually feels like: immediate sectionals, deep coaching from BSO players, chamber music options, multiple rehearsals that build real ensemble habits, and a final showcase concert that bri...

A cello career can begin in the most unlikely place and still end up on the world’s biggest stages. We sit down with acclaimed cellist Seth Parker Woods, a fearless advocate for contemporary classical music and a leading voice for commissioning new works, to trace the real steps behind a life in music: the early spark, the teachers who mattered, and the moment the path starts to click.
We talk about what draws him to living composers, why electronics and electroacoustic experimentation can expand the cello’s voice, and how you build “performance practice” when a piece is brand...

Cello and piano can be a brutal matchup when nobody makes room, but when the balance is right it becomes one of the most revealing duo formats in music. We sit down with cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O’Riley to trace how their partnership started, why it clicked so fast, and what they’ve learned from years of turning rehearsal into a kind of shared research lab.
We talk about building programs that cross borders without losing rigor, from Shuffle Play Listen to projects that pull ideas from Beethoven, contemporary music, and arranged songs by artists like...

One missed signup and a burst of kid-level courage can set an entire life in motion. Cellist and composer Dorothy Lawson grew up in Toronto surrounded by classical music and strong school music programs, but she didn’t “choose” cello in some grand, cinematic way. She simply chose to participate a day late, and the next opening happened to be cello. From there, the path becomes a masterclass in how musicians are formed: early access, social learning, and the kind of training that turns curiosity into craft.

We also get into the part of music that’s harder t...

A kid gets asked to “play a scale” by one of the greatest cellists who ever lived and has no idea what a scale is. That moment could have ended in embarrassment and retreat, but for Ole Akahoshi it became the beginning of a lifelong education in craft, taste, and what it really means to make the cello sing.

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with Ole Akahoshi, cellist and faculty at the Yale School of Music and Manhattan School of Music Prep Division, to trace his path from a music-filled childhood in Germany to s...

He picked orchestra because he thought there would be drums and that mix-up changed his life. Cellist Tommy Mesa joins us to trace the real arc from an accidental start in Miami to major career milestones, including joining the Manhattan School of Music faculty, winning the Sphinx Competition, and earning top honors like the Avery Fisher Career Grant. Along the way, we talk about what makes a classical music career sustainable when you don’t begin at age four and how the right environment can accelerate growth.

We also get a front-row look at high-pressure professional life: To...

Classical music can change a life, but it can also quietly decide whose life gets changed. The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with Stanford Thompson, founder of Play On Philly and executive director of Equity Arc, to talk about the moment he realized music isn’t neutral and why “work hard” is only part of the story when access to training, instruments, time, and insider mentorship is so uneven.

Stanford takes us from a childhood shaped by disciplined music educators, to high-level preparation through a talent development program, to the intense excellence and isolation of the...

A tiny sixteenth-size cello, a stubborn toddler, and a violin shop tantrum, that’s how this story begins. From there, Inbal Megido grew into an international soloist and chamber musician, studied with the legendary Aldo Parisot at Yale, and ultimately built a rich artistic life in Wellington, New Zealand. We explore how a childhood steeped in music became a fluent language, how cross-continental moves shaped identity, and why a liberal arts education can sharpen a performer’s ear and mind as much as hours in the practice room.

The heart of our conversation centers on voice and free...

A seven-year-old chooses the cello because “you get to sit,” and decades later becomes a sought-after pedagogue who reshapes how students think about practice, expression, and careers. That’s the arc that The Cello Sherpa Podcast host, Joel Dallow, explores with cellist and educator Melissa Kraut, equal parts heart, humor, and hard-won clarity.

We dive into the early thrill of playing by ear and the long road to loving theory, including candid stories about faking through parts and finally discovering how analysis deepens expression. Melissa explains why Suzuki training transformed her teaching, giving her a surgeon’s eye for...

What does it really take to move from a childhood in a Soviet special music school to the principal chair of a top American orchestra? The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with Ilya Finkelshteyn to trace that journey, through refugee camps, early months in Minnesota with two suitcases and $300, a total technical rebuild at Juilliard with Harvey Shapiro, and a relentless audition circuit that demanded both resilience and precision.

Ilya opens the curtain on how committees actually listen. The first-round filter isn’t mystery or style, it’s consistent intonation, reliable rhythm, and clear dyna...

A single question—“Can I have it?”—nearly sent a child’s cello out the door. Instead, that moment lit a fuse that carried Hee-Young Lim from piano lessons and packed Korean school days to principal chair in Rotterdam and a teaching home at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music.

The Cello Sherpa Podcast host, Joel Dallow, interviews Hee-Young, and they take a deep dive into the chain of choices that shaped her artistry: the advantages of piano-first training for cello technique, how small hands and big extensions can coexist, and what it means to study across traditions w...

A cello can feel like an escape, a calling, and eventually a limb. That’s how Johannes Moser describes the moment the instrument clicked for him and why, decades later, he still loves the daily work most players dread. Our conversation traces his path from messy youth concerts and amateur orchestras to major stages, revealing how real leadership grows when the horn enters early, the violas miss a cue, and the soloist still carries the story.

We dig into what actually sustains a modern career: commissions that energize seasons, manuscripts that change how you read the classics, an...

Perfectionism can sharpen your playing or steal your joy. The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Ellen Hendriksen to unpack where that line lives for working musicians and how to keep your standards high without letting self-worth rise and fall with every take. Ellen breaks down seven core patterns behind perfectionism—over-evaluation, self-criticism, rigid rules, mistake avoidance, procrastination, social comparison, and perfectionistic self-presentation—and shows how they quietly fuel audition anxiety, practice paralysis, and post-concert spirals.

Together, we reframe procrastination as an emotion management habit rather than a calendar problem, then trad...

What does it really take to lead a world-class cello section while raising two young kids and navigating an orchestra’s evolving culture? The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with San Francisco Symphony principal cellist Rainer Eudeikis for a candid, witty, and deeply practical conversation about moving from Utah to Atlanta to the Bay Area, why some orchestras feel close-knit while others run purely professional, and how life stage changes your sense of community as much as geography does.

Rainer opens the front-stand playbook: direct conversations with the conductor, shaping section sound in real ti...

What if a great music career isn’t either–or but yes–and? The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with violinist Eunice Kim to explore how a childhood steeped in sound turned into a life that balances the intimacy of chamber music, the rigor of orchestral work, and the freedom of solo projects. From a seven-year-old debut in Seoul to the charged Saturdays at the San Francisco Conservatory prep division and the whirlwind of Aspen Music Festival, Eunice learned early to juggle scope and to listen as intensely as she plays.

That mindset prepared her fo...

What if the thing that makes people laugh at your art is the same thing that makes them listen closer? That’s the tension—and the opportunity—at the heart of our conversation with cellist and filmmaker Nick Canellakis, whose viral sketches and serious performances are two sides of one craft. We dig into the roots: a musical family, early piano, and the moment the cello took hold. Then the parallel story: childhood home videos evolving into a full-fledged filmmaking habit, culminating in a Curtis holiday “skit night” that became a real short film. Nick walks us through his modern too...

A sacred plant, a living coastline, and a cello that sings in two voices—Sweetgrass brings them together with uncommon clarity. 

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with composer Dawn Avery and cellist Wilhelmina Smith to share how a pandemic idea turned into an immersive album where Mohawk language, indigenous song forms, and contemporary classical textures breathe the same air. Dawn traces her journey from conservatory training to a compositional practice grounded in Mohawk heritage, storytelling, and soundscapes that fold in blues, meditative space, and rock energy. Wilhelmina reflects on early breakthroughs at Curtis, a l...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Cellist and Franchomme Scholar, Louise Dubin. She shares about her incredibly varied career as a freelancer, and her love of research, particularly on French compositions. Louise gives details about her experience recording her widely acclaimed album "The Franchomme Project" and her latest album "Passages." These albums reflect the culmination of her research in to discovering compositions that have never been recorded, and her drive to be the first one. She also shares about her experience working at Prussia Cove with Steven Isserlis, Ralph Kirshbaum, and William Pleeth. 

For more i...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Cellist, Pablo Ferrández. Pablo has been working all over the world as an international soloist. He shares about the experience of being born into a musical family and named after his father's idol, Pablo Casals. He also talks about what its been like to build an international career over the past decade, become a Sony recording artist, and he shares details about recording his latest album, "Moonlight Variations."

For more information on Pablo: https://www.pabloferrandez.com/

You can also find Pablo on Instagram: @pabloferrandez.cellist     

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Clay McKinney, Orchestra Director and Cellist at Parkway Schools located in Chesterfield, Missouri. Clay shares how he developed an incredible passion for teaching, particularly as an Orchestra Director of a middle school. He also offers tips for building a following on social media, and talks about how he built an impressive following of over 10K on his Youtube channel.  

For more information on Clay: https://www.thecello.online/

You can also find Clay on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube: @thecelloonline

If you are looking for in p...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Alban Gerhardt. Alban is enjoying a 35 year career as an International Soloist and Chamber Musician. Having performed with most of the major American and European orchestras, Alban shares stories going back to his roots, growing up as a young child fascinated by classical music in a musical environment, with a father who was a violinist in the Berlin Philharmonic. He talks about how he has built an international career over several decades, despite the fact that the cello was not his first love, and he offers his advice to young...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Robert Howard. Robert is a Founder and the Co-Artistic Director, along with Rebecca Merblum, of the Kenya International Chamber Music Festival. He shares his journey growing up as a cellist in metro Atlanta, to his life of teaching and freelancing in the San Francisco bay area. After an incredibly moving trip to Kenya in 2019, Robert and Rebecca were inspired to start the Kenya International Cello Festival, which quickly morphed into a chamber music festival. Robert speaks about the impact they are making in Nairobi by teaching young musicians how to...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Clive Greensmith. Clive has been Professor of Cello at the Colburn School Conservatory of Music since 2013. Clive shares about his incredible journey as cellist of the World renowned Tokyo String Quartet for their final 15 years, his position as Principal Cellist of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, and how those two distinctive careers compared to each other. With his vast teaching experience, Clive also shares about his teaching philosophy, offers advice to young musicians, and much more. 

For more information on Clive: https://www.clivegreensmith.com/

Y...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Emily Wright. Emily is the host of The Lonely Cello Podcast. She shares about the many facets of her career, including working as a freelance cellist, an Associate Editor and contributing writer for Strings Magazine, working as a composer, and teaching students of all levels and ages, with a particular skill set geared towards adult students. 

For more information on Emily: https://emilywright.net/

You can also find Emily on Instagram and Facebook: @emilywrightcello

If you are looking for in person/virtual cello lessons, or...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Alisa Weilerstein. Alisa is enjoying a career as an international soloist and chamber musician. In this interview, she shares what the experience of being recognized with a MacArthur “genius grant” Fellowship in 2011 was like, and how it impacted her career. She also talks about how she grew up surrounded by music, never had any doubt she wanted to be a professional cellist, her advice for building an international career and much more! 

For more information on Alisa: https://alisaweilerstein.com/

You can also find Alisa on Insta...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Emilio Colón. Emilio is Professor of Cello at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. After getting off to a rocky start with his teacher Janos Starker, Emilio talks about how he felt that he was dead last amongst his peers on the cello, which in turn motivated him to work as hard as he could to prove that he had what it took to be successful. Shortly after graduating from Indiana, Janos Starker called him and invited him back to join the cello faculty of his alma m...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Sterling Elliot. Sterling is the 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and the winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition. He shares about his journey growing up as the cellist in the family string quartet, starting at the age of 5, and he speaks about the impact of winning both the junior and senior divisions of the Sphinx Competition. Sterling also talks about how he has  navigated the first couple of years growing a career into an international soloist, picking a manager, and much more.  

For more in...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews violist, violinist, and composer, Christian Colberg. Christian is currently the Principal Violist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He shares his amazing story about winning a job in the Baltimore Symphony after only playing the viola for 3 weeks, his journey from there to Cincinnati 17 years later, his compositional philosophy, tips for taking successful auditions, and much more!

For more information on Christian: https://www.christiancolberg.com/

You can also find Christian on Facebook and Instagram: @christiancolberg11

To listen to the albums, composed, recorded, engineered, and performed b...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Norman Fischer. Norman is Professor of Cello, and Chair of Chamber Music at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Norman shares his story of how he first developed his insatiable love of contemporary music. He also talks about his journey forming the Naumburg winning Concord String Quartet to joining the faculty at Dartmouth, then Oberlin, and he gives the inside story of how Rice became one of the most sought after music schools! 

For more information on Norman Fischer:

https://music.rice.edu/faculty/n...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Alex Croxton, Alex is currently a faculty member at Mannes Prep, the Special Music School at the Kaufman Center, the Head of Cello at the School for Strings, and he has a full private studio in NYC. Alex shares about the impact the Suzuki method has had on his ability to work successfully with his students, and how it led to his interest in becoming certified as a teacher trainer. He also speaks about his own journey as a beginner on the cello at the age of 12 and he talks...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Bassist Andrew Sommer. Andrew is in his second season as a bassist in the Chicago Symphony, after spending 4 years as Principal of the Richmond Symphony. He shares his story about growing up among musician parents, with his mom as his earliest music teacher, his dad paving the way as a bassist in the Atlanta Symphony and much more. 

For more information on Andrew Sommer: https://cso.org/about/performers/cso-musicians/strings/bass/andrew-sommer/

You can also find Andrew on Facebook & Instagram: @ajsommer

If you are l...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Cellist Mike Block. Mike shares about his incredible multi faceted life working not just as a cellist who walks around on stage while playing, but also as a singer, composer, and educator. He also shares how he found success on such a non traditional classical music path, why he was motivated to go this direction in his career, and much more!  

For more information on Mike Block check out his website: https://www.mikeblockmusic.com/

For more information on 3D printed cellos: https://forte3d.com/

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Cellist Julie Albers. She has been the principal cellist of The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra since 2014. They talk about her experience growing up in a family where all of her siblings played instruments, how she ended up in an orchestra, forming the Albers Trio with her sisters, her teaching philosophy, and much more. 

For more information on Julie: https://content.thespco.org/people/julie-albers/

You can also find Julie on Facebook: @jooliealbers

Check out her recording of the Crosmer-Popper Duets recorded with Jeremy Crosmer: https://m...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Cellist and Conductor Eric Jacobsen. Eric is a cellist in Yo-Yo Ma’s SilkRoad Ensemble, the Artistic Director and Co-founder of the Knights Chamber Orchestra and also the Music Director of the Virginia Symphony and the Orlando Philharmonic. They talk about his incredible career on the cello and how he transitioned to a conducting career. Eric shares stories about working with Yo-Yo Ma, starting multiple musical ensembles, and studying with the legendary cellist Harvey Shapiro at Juilliard. 

For more information on Eric Jacobsen check out his website: http://www.jac...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Nathan Chan, Assistant Principal Cello of the Seattle Symphony. They talk about the incredible social media following he has built over the years by creating insightful, interesting and amusing videos around the cello. Nathan also shares his experience working towards the goal of winning a position in a major symphony orchestra and much more.

For more information on Nathan Chan check out his website: https://nathanchan.com/
You can also find Nathan on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube: @Nathanchancello 

If you are looking for in person/v...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Blaise Dejardin, principal cellist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They talk about what he has been up to over the past 3 years, joining the faculty of his alma mater, the New England Conservatory, his teaching philosophy, filling three openings in the cello section, and much more.

For more information on Blaise Dejardin check out his website www.BlaiseDejardin.com
For his cello arrangements:
www.opuscello.com
Copies of his book are also available here:
https://www.blaisedejardin.com/shop/audition-day-book
...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Paul Watkins. Paul is currently the Professor of Cello at the Yale School of Music. He shares his journey going back to landing Principal Cellist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the age of 20, his work as a member of the Nash Ensemble, joining the legendary Emerson String quartet, and even taking up the baton as a conductor, winning the Leeds Conducting Competition in 2002. 

For more information on Paul: https://music.yale.edu/people/paul-watkins

If you are looking for in person/virtual cello lessons, or or...