“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato

After moving to Cape Cod in 1993, my teaching space became known as “The Chappaquoit Cello Studio”.   I have taught many adult cellists and hundreds of interested children, many of whom have gone on to advanced studies in distinguished music programs.  Some of my students perform with Boston youth symphonies and each year many win seats in the All-Cape Orchestra and in the Southeast District Orchestras.  Many have gone on to perform with the All State Orchestra. 

 I began teaching music when I was in my early twenties.  My approach depends very much on the individual student.  We all have different learning styles and each of us is moved by music in a personal way.  My youngest student was four years old and my oldest was well into his nineties.  There is both a challenge and a great excitement in helping students learn to navigate the physical demands of cello playing, the understanding of the music language, and the development of artistry.  I believe that anyone who has the desire and the dedication to play the cello can reach a fluency that can bring joy to themselves and to others.

Over the years I have hosted numerous master classes, workshops and concert performances with such distinguished artists as Fritz Magg, Karen Buranskas, Amit Peled, Evan Drachman, Jacques Lee Wood, Rhonda Rider, Mike Block, BoCoCelli, Javier Caballero, John Bumstead and Phoebe Carrai.

In 2004, The Chappaquoit Cello Studio began a collaboration with Rhonda Rider and her graduate students from Boston Conservatory at Berklee.  This collaboration has given my students the opportunity to play alongside of players at the conservatory level and at the professional level.  It has proven to be an amazing inspiration to all of us, including the community that has formed in our small town to support these concerts.  To celebrate sixteen years of this collaboration, Rhonda and I commissioned a new work “Paisagens Brasileiras” (Brazilian Landscapes) for cello octet by Brazilian composer Dimitri Cervo.  Our local Woods Hole Foundation generously supported our commission with a grant. We were a total of 27 cellists performing in our combined premiere concert in Nov 2019 in Woods Hole, MA.