Theodore Buchholz is the cello professor at the University of Arizona. Described by newspaper critics as a “virtuosic cellist” with a “warm beautiful sound,” he has performed in prominent venues from New York’s Lincoln Center to international halls in Italy and Tokyo, and in venues across the United States. Buchholz’s album Afterglow features Henry Hadley’s complete works for cello and piano, and was released by Centaur Records, receiving the coveted five-star rating from Fanfare Magazine. His recording of the Hans Winterberg Cello Sonata was released under the Toccata label in 2018. As a nationally recognized researcher, Dr. Buchholz served as the Cello Forum Editor for the award-winning journal American String Teacher. During the summers he performs at the Killington Music Festival in Vermont and the Zephyr Music Festival in Italy. Dr. Buchholz studied with Bonnie Hampton, Sadao Harada, Robert Jesselson, and Nathaniel Rosen. Dr. Buchholz's current and former students perform in orchestras and chamber ensembles around the country, and they teach in schools and studios around the world. His students have received scholarships from competitive conservatories and have won awards in national chamber music and solo competitions. They have appeared on NPR’s From the Top, as soloists with orchestras, and at leading music festivals. Theodore Buchholz is the recipient of the 2019 Taubeneck Superior Teaching Award. In 2022, he received the Charles and Irene Putnam Award, the college’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in teaching.

Robert Jesselson is Emeritus Carolina Distinguished Professor at USC, where he taught cello and played in the American Arts Trio and the Jesselson/Fugo Duo for forty years. In 2013 he was named as the Governor’s Professor of the Year. Dr. Jesselson has performed in Europe, Asia, South America, and the US.  His performance degrees are from the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, West Germany, the Eastman School of Music (where he studied with Paul Katz), and from Rutgers (where he studied with Bernard Greenhouse). In 1983 Dr. Jesselson was in China for a six-month residency, one of the first Western cellists to visit that country. In December, 2001 he led a delegation of string players and teachers to Cuba to begin professional contact with Cuban musicians. He has also taught at Sookmyung University in Korea, Sun Yat Sen University in Taiwan, University of Auckland in New Zealand, and at the Royal College of Music in London. Dr. Jesselson was the director of the USC String Project for fifteen years, building the program into one of the largest and most prominent string education programs in the country. His pioneering work on this program was recognized in an article in the New York Times in 2003. Dr. Jesselson was the national President of ASTA from 2000-2002, during which time he started the National String Project Consortium (with sites at forty-four universities and grants of $3.1 million). He was the cello teacher at the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts for seventeen years. He is the recipient of the 2015 USC Trustees Professorship, the 2002 Cantey Award for Outstanding Faculty, the 1992 Verner Award, and the 1989 S.C. Arts Commission Artist Fellowship.

For Robert Jesselson's website, click here.

Cellist, producer, and instructor Ryan Knott has established a unique presence in the music industry through his diverse and versatile contributions. From symphony orchestras to collaborations with iconic acts like The Eagles, Cage the Elephant, and Josh Groban, Ryan's cello weaves through diverse genres—cinematic, dubstep, folk, rock, and gospel—captivating audiences both in the U.S. and on international stages. Beyond his performances, Ryan has produced and recorded with an eclectic range of artists, including Mark Petrie, Kill the Noise, Tasha Cobbs, Joshua Messick and many others. Driven by a commitment to expand the reach of the cello's beauty, he continues to explore innovative ways to introduce the instrument to new audiences. His enduring passion creates a harmonious bridge between classical traditions and contemporary expressions.

Nan Kemberling is a cellist on a mission - a mission to bring people to the cello and bring cello to the people. She trained under cello guru Martha Gerschefski and went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in cello performance. She has played with popular artists including Johnny Mathis, Sarah McLachlan, Jennifer Hudson, Barry Manilow, Wynonna Judd, Bobby McFerrin, Donna Summer, and Gloria Estefan, and performed on national television, most notably with Josh Groban on the Oprah Winfrey Show. She has toured around the world in orchestras, with rock bands, and with her crossover cello quartet, Celli. A prolific songwriter and arranger, she has released six albums and two EPs between her solo and collaborative work. When not performing, she teaches cello at her Room 4 Cello studio in Atlanta, specializing in working with adult beginners. She also publishes songs, videos, thoughts on cello, and original cartoons at nancello.com and on her YouTube channel.