The Cello Sherpa Podcast

Your audition might win you the seat, but your day-to-day behavior decides whether people actually want to sit next to you for the next 20 years. The Cello Sherpa Podcast Host, Joel Dallow, is joined by cellist Jennifer Humphreys, currently with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, to talk about the orchestra etiquette music school rarely teaches: the quiet, practical choices that signal professionalism the moment you walk on stage. From the “fake five” being in your seat early to simple introductions that build instant trust, we dig into what colleagues notice right away.
We also get specific about section life. Jennifer explains what it really means to follow bowings (not just directions, but bow placement and length), what to do when you disagree with a principal, and why some “small” habits like phones on stage, gum, or practicing excerpts during service can erode focus and respect. We talk marking parts without creating crutches, how to stay flexible when seating changes, and how tidy pencil work can literally make rehearsal smoother for everyone sharing the stand.
Then we zoom out to what makes a section player genuinely valuable: knowing the full piece, listening across the orchestra, understanding when to play out or pull back, and using the right communication chain so questions get answered without derailing rehearsal. Underneath it all is the real challenge of professional ensemble playing: setting ego aside to create a unified sound that no solo player can make alone.
If you’re preparing for your first orchestra job or want to level up as a section string player, subscribe, share this with a stand partner, and leave a review so more musicians can find it. What’s one unwritten orchestra rule you wish someone had told you earlier?
For more information on Jennifer: https://slso.org/person/jennifer-humphreys/
You can also find Jennifer on Facebook and Instagram: @31jumphreys
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

Thirty years in the principal chair can look effortless from the audience, but it rarely feels that way from the stage. We’re joined by cellist Carter Brey as he steps back and takes stock of a remarkable run leading the New York Philharmonic cello section and why he’s choosing to retire at the end of the season while his playing still feels strong.
We get into what most people never see: how long it can take to truly feel “at home” in a top orchestra job, how you learn to handle pressure and politics without losing your musical center, and how the weekly reset of new programs forces you to stay sharp. Carter also shares how he keeps perspective when repertoire repeats, and why the best nights can be the quietest ones when the orchestra’s precision and trust are on full display.
Carter walks us through the very different worlds of Kurt Masur, Lorin Maazel, Alan Gilbert, Jaap van Zweden, and Gustavo Dudamel, and what adapting to each music director teaches you about musicianship, preparation, and leadership. We also talk about defining experiences, including the unforgettable 2008 Pyongyang concert, what he’ll miss most about his “second family,” his retirement plans for travel and sailing, and even the decision to sell his 1754 Guadagnini cello while viewing instruments and positions as things we steward for the next person.
If you care about orchestra life, principal string leadership, professional musician longevity, and the psychology of performing at a high level, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more, share this with a musician friend, and leave a review so more players can find the show.
For more information on Carter: https://www.nyphil.org/about-us/artists/carter-brey/ 
You can also find Carter on Facebook
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

You’ve heard of side-by-side concerts, but what happens when adult amateur musicians don’t just drop in for a night, they move into the orchestra for an entire week? We sit down with conductor Nicholas Hersh to unpack the Baltimore Symphony Academy, a rare program where participants rehearse and perform shoulder to shoulder with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra musicians in a true “fantasy camp” for orchestra lovers.
We talk through what the week actually feels like: immediate sectionals, deep coaching from BSO players, chamber music options, multiple rehearsals that build real ensemble habits, and a final showcase concert that brings it all together on a major stage. Nicholas explains the tricky planning behind the scenes, from managing oversized wind and brass sections to pairing participants with professionals on the stand, and he shares how the mentoring culture changes the energy for everyone in the room.
Then we go bigger. Why does this kind of lifelong music making matter right now? Nicholas makes the case that playing music together may be one of the most human things we can do, and that orchestras can serve their communities by creating serious, joyful spaces for people who play for love. We also close with practical advice for young musicians: build a wide tool belt, stay open to new genres, and give your career more than one path forward.
If you enjoy stories about orchestral life, conducting, adult music education, and the real purpose of classical music, subscribe, share this with a musician friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.
For more information on Nick: https://www.nicholashersh.com/
You can also find Nick on Instagram: @nicholashersh
For more information on the Academy: https://www.bsomusic.org/education/academy/
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 career can begin in the most unlikely place and still end up on the world’s biggest stages. We sit down with acclaimed cellist Seth Parker Woods, a fearless advocate for contemporary classical music and a leading voice for commissioning new works, to trace the real steps behind a life in music: the early spark, the teachers who mattered, and the moment the path starts to click.
We talk about what draws him to living composers, why electronics and electroacoustic experimentation can expand the cello’s voice, and how you build “performance practice” when a piece is brand new. Seth also gets candid about the parts musicians rarely say out loud, including what to do when you are committed to a piece that does not fully resonate, and why professionalism still means putting your best foot forward for first hearings and recordings.
From there, we dig into his albums and the storytelling choices inside them. Seth shares the meaning behind From Ordinary Things, inspired by Toni Morrison’s poem “Shelter,” and how works by André Previn, George Walker, and Tania León connect to lyricism, identity, and community. We also explore Difficult Grace, his genre-bending, autobiographical project that puts him on stage as cellist, narrator, and movement artist, and what that kind of production teaches you about freedom, pressure, and pivoting fast.
We close with an honest conversation about representation, being a Black cellist in classical music, and why access to instruments, teachers, and school programs shapes the entire pipeline. If you care about the future of music education, new music, and sustainable musician careers, this one will stay with you. Subscribe, share this episode with a musician friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.
For more information on Seth: https://sethparkerwoods.com/
You can also find Seth on Instagram: @sethparkerwoods
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

Cello and piano can be a brutal matchup when nobody makes room, but when the balance is right it becomes one of the most revealing duo formats in music. We sit down with cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O’Riley to trace how their partnership started, why it clicked so fast, and what they’ve learned from years of turning rehearsal into a kind of shared research lab.
We talk about building programs that cross borders without losing rigor, from Shuffle Play Listen to projects that pull ideas from Beethoven, contemporary music, and arranged songs by artists like Radiohead. Chris shares the pianist’s responsibility for momentum and for protecting the “lyric impulse,” and Matt explains how true collaboration feels less like compromise and more like testing ideas until the music tells you what it needs.
Then we go deep on Bach Dialogues: Bach sonatas reimagined with a five-string Baroque cello piccolo and the clavichord, an instrument Bach loved for its dynamic control and string-like touch. They unpack the realities of gut strings, pitch standards like A=415, why the clavichord is both expressive and famously quiet, and how modern recording and modeling technology can help bring an “impossible” instrument pairing to life onstage and in the studio.
If you care about chamber music, historically informed performance, Bach interpretation, or simply how great musicians listen to each other, this conversation is full of practical insight. Subscribe, share this with a musician friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.
For more information on Matt: https://www.matthaimovitz.com/
You can also find Matt on Facebook and Instagram: @Matthaimovitz
Youtube: @Matthaimovitz
For more information on Chris: https://christopheroriley.com/
You can also find Chris on Facebook and Instagram: @christopher_oriley_
Youtube: @ChristopherORiley360
To download "The Bach Dialogues" https://www.pentatonemusic.com/product/the-bach-dialogues-digital-only-album/
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