The Cello Sherpa Podcast

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 st...

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...

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...

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 divis...

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 t...

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...

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 intere...

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 i...

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!...

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 J...

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...

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....

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 websit...

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 t...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Richard Aaron. Richard joined the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory in the fall of 2024. He shares his incredible journey from landing an orchestra position at the age of 18, to becoming one of the most sought after teachers of our generation! Having been on faculty at the University of Michigan, the Juilliard School, the Cleve...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Julia Lichten. She has been on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music since 1989. Julia shares how she first fell in love with the cello, her teaching philosophy and offers sage advice on how to put your best foot forward when applying to summer music programs. For more information on Julia: https://www.msmnyc.edu/faculty/julia-l...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Keyboardist Chris Fischer, who recently joined the famed jazz fusion group Spyro Gyra. They talk about the moment he discovered this band and how his life was never the same. He shares his amazing journey, modeling his career after this style of music, to living out a dream he never fully allowed himself to imagine, replacing his idol Tom Schu...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews violinist Lauren Roth, who recently joined the Atlanta Symphony as the new Asst. Concertmaster. They talk about her past experience as Concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony, and how it relates to her current position. Lauren also offers advice on how to prepare for an orchestral audition. For more information on Lauren:  https://www.laurenrothv...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Internationally Renowned Cellist Steven Isserlis. After appearing as the Inaugural guest of this podcast in March 2021, Steven returns to celebrate the 100th episode of The Cello Sherpa Podcast and answer questions submitted by audience members. For more information on Steven: http://stevenisserlis.com/ If you are looking for in person/virtual...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Cellist James Kim. He is the Asst. Professor of Cello at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia. They talk about his journey on the cello, his teaching philosophy, and his  extremely fortunate path to his new teaching position. He replaces David Starkweather who spent 41 years in that position. For more information on Ja...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Cellists Robert Jesselson, Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina, and Theodore Buchholz, Associate Professor at The University of Arizona. They share their teaching philosophies, and the details of their new book The Cellist's Guide to Scale and Arpeggios. For more information and to purchase The Cellist's Guide to S...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Conductor William Langley. They talk about his path to his current positions as Resident Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Staff Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. William also shares his experience beginning conducting at the very young age of 13, and how he fo...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Kyle Price. They talk about how Kyle became a founding member of the Kasa Quartet, and a member of the Cavani Quartet, replacing his teacher for this coveted position. Kyle also shares his vision that led to him becoming Artistic and Executive Director of the Caroga Lake Music Festival and the Caroga Arts Collective. For more informati...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews cellist Jason Calloway. Jason is the cellist of the Amernet String Quartet, Ensemble-in-Residence at Florida International University in Miami. They talk about his love of opera, his journey to a career in chamber music, his affinity for gut strings, and much more.  For more information on Jason: https://carta.fiu.edu/music/jason-calloway-2/ Y...

The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, interviews Elisabeth Remy Johnson, who has been the Principal Harpist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1995. They talk about why she picked the harp, and her incredibly successful journey from majoring in Music and French at Harvard University directly to her position at the ASO. Elisabeth also shares details about founding the Urban Youth Harp En...