Awards/Competitions
musician response
Appearances
Ballet West Orchestra 2022–present; Utah Symphony, substitute; U.S. national tours for Our Planet, 2023, Avatar the Last Airbender, 2024, and Naruto the Symphonic Experience, 2025, principal cello; Civic Orchestra of Chicago, 2024–25, associate member; New World Symphony, 2024–25, associate member; Aspen Music Festival and School, 2020
What is your earliest memory of classical music?
When I was nine years old I was living in St. Petersburg, Russia for the summer with my family. My mom took me to see Cinderella at the Mariinsky Theatre and I remember being enchanted by the whole experience. I played the same Prokofiev Cinderella this past February and it was a very sweet full-circle moment to play the score that introduced me to the world of theater for the first time!
Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?
My senior year of high school I studied with Rainer Eudeikis (now principal of San Francisco Symphony). I only studied with him for a year, but he completely transformed my technique and made me excited to study music seriously in college. He is also probably one of the most quick-witted people I’ve ever met!
What made you decide to become a musician? Was there a particular performance or person that influenced your decision?
After I graduated with my B.M. in 2021, I won a cello section position with the Ballet West Orchestra in Salt Lake City the following year. I hadn’t done much pit work, but something came alive in me and I completely fell in love with ballet and opera music. That passion has made me want to develop myself as a musician to the best of my ability so that I can be part of story telling in theaters across the world.
How did you hear about TŌN? What inspired you to apply?
A few friends of mine were graduates of the program and really enjoyed it. Being at a small liberal arts college on the east coast has been a dream of mine as long as I can remember, so it was the perfect program for a graduate degree, to gain orchestral experience, and live in the northeast.
How would you like to see orchestra concerts evolve in the future?
Mixed media. I love when performing art is combined with visual art, spoken word, dancers, light shows, film, etc.
What is the most memorable performance you ever had?
A few years ago I got to play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony with the Utah Symphony and Maestro Markus Poschner. I had studied the excerpts for years, but it was completely transformative to play it with the symphony I grew up listening to for years. I loved being part of the cello section and the larger orchestral sound, and it fostered a love of ensemble playing that has only grown over the years.
What is your proudest achievement as a musician?
A few years ago I ran into a neighbor in Salt Lake City who was a retired engineer and began teaching herself cello. She asked if I could be her teacher and we started working together once a week. Seeing her love and excitement for music grow has given me so much joy, and accompanying her Suzuki Book 1 recital a year later was one of the proudest moments in my music career!
Is there a person or people you most respect in your field and why?
Yo-Yo Ma. He is the epitome of what a musician is to me. He cares about people first and foremost and uses music as a way to connect and heal.
Tell us about a time you almost gave up but didn’t.
I actually did! I didn’t touch my cello for half a year after I graduated college. The academic setting burnt me out. I lived abroad in Kazakhstan and Europe for a year and developed a love for story telling, visual art, and opera. When I moved to Salt Lake City, I started auditioning for any pit work available. I found that I loved ensemble playing much more than solo playing and gained a renewed sense of love for music.
Can you share any memorable onstage mishaps?
On my 14th birthday, I was attending a chamber music festival in my hometown and we had our performance that same day. My quartet walked out on stage and when I sat down, I realized I had left my music off stage! I put down my cello and ran off stage, grabbed the music, and ran back out, only to realize I grabbed the wrong piece of music lying around! So I ran back off stage again, into the green room, found my actual score, and came back on stage a few moments later. The audience clapped as I entered for the third time, and one of my best friends still has the whole thing recorded on video. We laugh about it to this day.
Do you have a favorite non-classical musician or band?
I’m really into the Icelandic-Chinese artist Laufey. She combines classical, jazz, and pop in a really unique style and I love listening to her albums.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
Probably working in a diplomatic capacity between the U.S. and Europe. I’ve loved learning languages, studying religions, and traveling. Bringing people together is something I love about music, and something I could see myself doing in a diplomatic setting as well.
What is a surprising part of playing your instrument that you think most people don’t know?
Jewelry. I can’t wear dangly earrings or most jewelry, as it will buzz against the instrument if I do so.
What is the biggest challenge and/or surprise about playing in an orchestra?
Seeing the conductor from the side. Unlike brass and woodwinds, cellists often play on the outer ring of the orchestra and only get a profile view of the conductor. Distinguishing between beats can be tricky, so it’s something that just takes time and practice to get better at.
What advice would you give your younger self or anyone starting out?
Playing music is something you do, it’s not who you are. Your worth as a person isn’t defined by how successful you are in a competition, what school you go to, or the stages you’ve performed on. Music is about bringing beauty and joy to the world, including yourself! We all contribute to that in our own way, and it’s better to listen to what makes you happy than to try to follow other people’s ideas of what your music career should look like.
What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now?
When you travel with a cello, your cello takes the window seat and a seatbelt extender. It is a high maintenance instrument, but that’s the price we pay for the best one in the orchestra.