BCSO cellist for 35 years and small business owner
I was one of Paul Nuse’s students and started playing with BCSO in the fall of 1968when I was 15 years old. [Mr. Nuse was a founding member of the BCSO and played in the Symphony for 45 years.] Vernon Hammond was the conductor. I continued to play with BSCO through high school, then went to Lehigh University for my first year of college and took my cello with me. I carried my cello once a week across to Moravian College to play with a community orchestra, mostly students, under the direction of Don Spieth. One of my favorite memories is playing in an inter-collegiate orchestra held at Grove City College that year.

I deliver concrete for a living which includes maintaining a lot of heavy equipment, having a good knowledge of chemistry, accounting and customer relations. Music broadens my life and gives a fullness and something special for the soul. I have played at St Jude Church for over 25 years and for many high school musicals over the years, especially while my children were in school. I credit Bucks County Symphony with honing and maintaining my skills as a musician to be able to perform at other places.

BCSO cellist for 5 years (principal for 3) and professional cellist and educator
As a professional cellist and someone who has spent significant time living, studying, and working outside of the US, I’m continually fascinated at how inter-connected and seemingly small the music world is. For example, when I lived in Amsterdam, I can remember being on my bike (with my cello on my back of course!) and passing by a girl I knew I recognized with her cello. We both stopped and chatted and realized that we in fact both attended Strings Camp with the Philly Orchestra when we were about 13 years old. It was wild! I have had so many similar experiences in my career to date that make the world feel quite small to me actually. My ability to travel internationally (and more locally) to perform and teach is one of the things I treasure most about being a professional cellist!