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Experience
Madison, WI cellist Dr. Jamie Therrell (formerly Ben, pronounced "THAIR-uhl") has genre-crossing experience ranging from classical to jazz, pop, rock, and electro-acoustic. Interested in exploring the boundaries of possibility on the cello, Jamie's career has taken them across the US to connect with audiences and musicians in a wide variety of venues: indoor, outdoor, amplified, and acoustic. The title of Jamie's doctoral written project (aka "dissertation") is Musical Improvisation as a Path Toward Freedom of Exploration and Discovery of Self Expression.
Jamie has held a chair in the Fayetteville Symphony and has performed with many major orchestras in Wisconsin, North Carolina, New Mexico, and Colorado including the Winston-Salem Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Boulder Symphony and others.
During Jamie's doctorate, they were the resident cellist for the Rabin String Quartet. During Jamie's master's, they were the resident cellist with the Giannini String Quartet. Jamie has also performed with other classically-oriented chamber music organizations such as Mosaic Chamber Players, Chorda Entertainment, the Nelson String Quartet, Desert Song, and Nobility Strings.
Jamie has had the distinct opportunity to perform chamber music with wonderful musicians from the Melos, Garth Newell, and Reynolda string quartets, along with the current or former directors of the Green Mountain, Eastern Shore, Windwood, Tanglewood, and Lumino festivals.
As a member of the Bolz Collaborative Ensemble, Jamie has performed with saxophonist Eddie Barbash (a founding member of the band Stay Human with Jon Batiste from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) along with the eminent bassist Rufus Reid. Jamie's playing can be heard on the album Elegy for an Undiscovered Species by the Johannes Wallmann Jazz Quintet, published on Shifting Paradigm Records.
Jamie has always explored adventurous musical projects, and has written many original arrangements for groups he has formed. Jamie has also performed new music by acclaimed contemporary composers in the J D Robb Composer’s Symposium and with the Mead Witter Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. Ben's original commissions include the soundtrack to a globally-nominated project in the 2017 NASA Hackathon.
Education & Professional Training
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Doctor of Musical Arts in Cello Performance
Full Scholarship Recipient
Graduate String Quartet Fellowship
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Master of Music in Cello Performance
Full Scholarship Recipient
Graduate String Quartet Fellowship
University of New Mexico
Dual Bachelor of Music Degrees in Cello Performance & Cello Pedagogy
Scholarship Recipient
Summer Festivals
Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival
Festival Fellow & Scholarship Recipient
Sewanee Summer Music Festival
Full Scholarship Recipient
Garth Newel Music Center
Full Scholarship Recipient
Professional Remarks of Note
“That was the best Shostakovich I’ve ever heard in an audition setting. Possibly ever.”
— Robert Moody, Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
“Your octaves are perfect!”
— Rhonda Rider, violinist & pedagogue at Boston Conservatory at Berklee
“You have a warm sound,”
— Kevin Lawrence, violinist & founder of Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival
“Brilliant! You are truly an artist scholar.”, “Your dissertation reads like butter.”
— Teri Dobbs, Professor Emerita of Music Education at the University of Wisconsin
“Your pizzicato is impressive!”
— David Finckel, cellist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center & Emerson String Quartet
“Sounds good!”
— Amit Peled, internationally renowned cellist & professor at Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University
Life
Jamie started music the way all great musicians do: by learning recorder in 3rd grade. For some odd reason, a beige plastic version of Ode to Joy never quite stuck.
The summer after turning 11, Jamie joined a group class of beginning cellists and bassists. After a week or two, the teacher noticed that Jamie was quickly outpacing the rest of the group, and many of the lessons eventually included one-on-one accelerated instruction. The language of music came more naturally to Jamie than it did to those nearby, and that affinity grew quickly.
When Jamie's parents realized this music thing was serious, Jamie's mom sold her saxophone to buy a cello. Jamie still keeps that cello today.
Jamie holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earned under the guidance of Uri Vardi, and a Master of Music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in the studio of Brooks Whitehouse. David Schepps and Lisa Collins were the primary teachers during a dual Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance and String Pedagogy at the University of New Mexico.
As an avid and enthusiastic chamber musician, Jamie has received guidance from current or former members of the Emerson, Pro Arte, Brentano, Melos, Mendelssohn, Attacca, and Garth Newell String Quartets, along with other members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Jamie has had the opportunity to learn from noteworthy cellists such as David Finckel, Lynn Harrell, Timothy Eddy, Alan Harris, Anthony Elliott, Rhonda Rider, Parry Karp, Wendy Warner, Antonio Lysy, Sarah Kim, Brant Taylor, Scott Kluksdahl, Alex Ezerman, Andrew Mark, Kim Cook, Jeff Lestrapes, Mark Votapek, and Thomas Mesa.
Dr. Therrell is an enthusiastic and Suzuki-certified cello teacher. Previous positions include faculty at the UNCSA Community Music School, the UNM String Pedagogy Lab School, and the New Mexico School of Music. Jamie is currently based out of Madison, WI, alongside wife Mandy, their daughter, and two doggies. For more information about Dr. Therrell's teaching studio, visit the Teaching Approach page.
Additional Competitive Admissions & Scholarship Offers
Scholarship admission to Boston Conservatory
Scholarship admission to University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
Scholarship admission to University of Oregon
Scholarship admission to University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign
Admission to University to South Florida
Admission to the Performing Artist Certificate program at University of North Carolina School of the Arts
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