The Cello Sherpa Podcast

What does it really take to move from a childhood in a Soviet special music school to the principal chair of a top American orchestra? The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with Ilya Finkelshteyn to trace that journey, through refugee camps, early months in Minnesota with two suitcases and $300, a total technical rebuild at Juilliard with Harvey Shapiro, and a relentless audition circuit that demanded both resilience and precision.

Ilya opens the curtain on how committees actually listen. The first-round filter isn’t mystery or style, it’s consistent intonation, reliable rhythm, and clear dynamic contrast. He shares the training habits that hold up under pressure: drones and tuners to expose tendencies, perfect intervals that must truly lock, open-string checks, and practicing in resonant spaces to hear pitch “hang” in the air. He even offers a pragmatic safety net for intervals when adrenaline spikes, an approach that protects musical integrity without freezing expression.

We also dig into leadership from the first stand. Ilya’s philosophy is simple and demanding: orchestra is chamber music writ large. He asks for active playing across the section, minimal talking from him to the section, sharp listening, and smart energy management. It took more than seven years to feel fully at home in the chair, long enough to cycle the core repertoire and learn when to blend and when to step out. Along the way, he makes a case for sustainable careers: secure an institutional “address” for stability, then build a rich mix of orchestra work, chamber music, solo spots, and teaching.

If you care about orchestra auditions, cello technique, or the realities of principal leadership, this conversation delivers practical steps, hard-won insight, and a clear path you can apply today. If it resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—what’s the one practice change you’ll make this week?
For more information on Ilya: https://www.ilya-finkelshteyn.com/
You can also find Ilya on Facebook and Instagram: @ilfink1217
If you are looking for in person/virtual cello lessons, or orchestral repertoire audition coachings, check out www.theCelloSherpa.com
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads & YouTube: @theCelloSherpa

For more information on our sponsor: www.CLEAResources.com

A single question—“Can I have it?”—nearly sent a child’s cello out the door. Instead, that moment lit a fuse that carried Hee-Young Lim from piano lessons and packed Korean school days to principal chair in Rotterdam and a teaching home at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music.

The Cello Sherpa Podcast host, Joel Dallow, interviews Hee-Young, and they take a deep dive into the chain of choices that shaped her artistry: the advantages of piano-first training for cello technique, how small hands and big extensions can coexist, and what it means to study across traditions with mentors from the French, German, Russian, and American schools. Hee-Young takes us inside the orchestra, sharing what she learned from working closely with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, decoding massive symphonic scores, and adapting to different halls on tour. Then she opens up about a turning point at thirty, why prestige wasn’t enough, how proximity to home and a lifelong dream to teach redefined success, and what makes Beijing’s conservatory culture distinct, from studio sizes to the freedom to teach across ages.

We also explore the heart behind her album Encores. Built one piece at a time in a colleague’s studio, the project gathers short works she first loved on piano and now sings through the cello. She explains how bow and breath reshape phrasing once sustained by pedal, why encore repertoire can carry the deepest personal stories, and how a DIY recording approach can yield a more intimate, honest sound. Throughout, her advice to young musicians is frank and generous: stay curious, stay open, and build resilience for a field that asks for both excellence and grit.

If you enjoy candid artist stories, real talk about career pivots, and behind-the-scenes insight into orchestral life, conservatory teaching, and recording strategy, this one’s for you. Listen, share with a friend who needs a nudge of courage, and leave a rating so more musicians and music lovers can find us.
For more information on Hee-Young: https://www.crossovermedia.net/artists/hee-young-lim/projects/the-encores-album/bio/
You can also find Hee-Young on Instagram and Facebook: @heeyounglim_official
or Youtube: @hee-younglim2202 
If you are looking for in person/virtual cello lessons, or orchestral repertoire audition coachings, check out www.theCelloSherpa.com
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads & YouTube: @theCelloSherpa

For more information on our sponsor: www.CLEAResources.com

A cello can feel like an escape, a calling, and eventually a limb. That’s how Johannes Moser describes the moment the instrument clicked for him and why, decades later, he still loves the daily work most players dread. Our conversation traces his path from messy youth concerts and amateur orchestras to major stages, revealing how real leadership grows when the horn enters early, the violas miss a cue, and the soloist still carries the story.

We dig into what actually sustains a modern career: commissions that energize seasons, manuscripts that change how you read the classics, and the habit of talking with audiences as openly as you play. Johannes explains how performers like Casals and Rostropovich expanded the cello’s possibilities and how today’s social media era risks trading depth for dazzle. His antidote is simple and demanding—feed your inner life with books and theater, cultivate personal relationships that lead to invitations, and practice with curiosity so conviction can bloom on stage.

Along the way, Johannes shares why new music keeps Dvorak and Schumann fresh, how shared ownership of premieres strengthens the repertoire, and what “productive doubt” looks like in the practice room. He also offers grounded advice for young players navigating a noisy landscape: value the people in the room over the algorithm, and let your voice—not just your velocity—set you apart. If you’re hungry for a clear, human blueprint to grow artistry, connect with listeners, and build a resilient life in music, this conversation will meet you where you are and push you forward.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more musicians can find it.
For more information on Johannes Moser: https://www.johannes-moser.com/
You can also find Johannes on Instagram and Facebook: @cellistjohannesmoser
If you are looking for in person/virtual cello lessons, or orchestral repertoire audition coachings, check out www.theCelloSherpa.com
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads & YouTube: @theCelloSherpa

For more information on our sponsor: www.CLEAResources.com

Perfectionism can sharpen your playing or steal your joy. The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Ellen Hendriksen to unpack where that line lives for working musicians and how to keep your standards high without letting self-worth rise and fall with every take. Ellen breaks down seven core patterns behind perfectionism—over-evaluation, self-criticism, rigid rules, mistake avoidance, procrastination, social comparison, and perfectionistic self-presentation—and shows how they quietly fuel audition anxiety, practice paralysis, and post-concert spirals.

Together, we reframe procrastination as an emotion management habit rather than a calendar problem, then trade approval-seeking for intention-setting you can control. Ellen offers practical ways to normalize a non-zero failure rate in auditions, interpret criticism without outsourcing your identity, and use both acceptance tools and cognitive restructuring to soften the inner critic. You’ll learn how to treat harsh thoughts like background noise, play with them to drain their power, and coach yourself with firm, kind language that actually leads to better performances.

We also explore the “perfectionistic climate” many musicians train in, the difference between healthy and maladaptive perfectionism, and small daily choices that reduce shoulds and increase motivation. If you’ve ever walked offstage to applause while frowning inside, this conversation gives you a path back to meaning, agency, and sustainable growth. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs it, and leave a quick review—what intention will you set for your next performance?
For more information on Ellen Hendriksen: https://www.ellenhendriksen.com/about
If you are looking for in person/virtual cello lessons, or orchestral repertoire audition coachings, check out www.theCelloSherpa.com
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads & YouTube: @theCelloSherpa

For more information on our sponsor: www.CLEAResources.com

What does it really take to lead a world-class cello section while raising two young kids and navigating an orchestra’s evolving culture? The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, sits down with San Francisco Symphony principal cellist Rainer Eudeikis for a candid, witty, and deeply practical conversation about moving from Utah to Atlanta to the Bay Area, why some orchestras feel close-knit while others run purely professional, and how life stage changes your sense of community as much as geography does.

Rainer opens the front-stand playbook: direct conversations with the conductor, shaping section sound in real time, and the hidden grind of bowings that can make or break a rehearsal. He explains why he once resisted pops and movie concerts, how he came to value their physical and mental reset between heavy rep, and how smart rotation preserves endurance across a demanding subscription season. His practice advice is refreshingly doable—an under-30-minute daily routine that maintains intonation, articulation, and vibrato, plus “simmering” solos weeks in advance so they peak on cue. He also shares how to turn stage time into training, using lighter programs to refine shifts, bow control, and contact.

On auditions, Rainer pulls back the curtain on San Francisco’s process: resume screening, when and why tapes help, the pros and cons of recorded prelims, and the committee discipline needed to keep standards high without wasting candidates’ time or money. He describes hiring multiple young players—some initially asked to submit tapes—and what separates winners: musical identity, adaptability, and the ability to move a room in the first 30 seconds. For students and early-career musicians, his guidance is sharp and actionable: define your niche early, seek mentors who do the job you want, and build the psychology to perform under pressure without losing musical voice.

If you care about orchestral life, cello leadership, audition strategy, or simply practicing smarter, this conversation is rich with takeaways you can use today. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s prepping auditions, and leave a review to tell us your biggest question about principal leadership.
For more information on Rainer Eudeikis: https://www.rainereudeikis.com/
You can also find Rainer on YouTube: @Eudeikis
If you are looking for in person/virtual cello lessons, or orchestral repertoire audition coachings, check out www.theCelloSherpa.com
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads & YouTube: @theCelloSherpa

For more information on our sponsor: www.CLEAResources.com