Festival

We created an international forum for the exchange of music and ideas and fostered the growth of the cello in all styles beyond classical music. The cello can now be seen and heard in countless genres of music around the globe. Over the years, more than 100 guest...

New Directions Cello Festival Berklee College of Music Boston, MA June 21 – 23, 2019 The guest artists were: Stephan Braun & Deep Strings, Helen Gillet, Matthieu Saglio, Stephen Katz, Eric Wright with Mairi Rankin, Vincent Courtois & Love of Life Trio and...

English German 24th annualNew Directions Cello FestivalHochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln // WDR Funkhaus Köln (Cologne), Germany July 13-15, 2018 Exploring the current state of non-classical cello music.Featuring:Reijseger Fraanje Sylla (NL/Senegal), Martin Meléndez...

English German 24th annual New Directions Cello Festival Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln // WDR Funkhaus Köln (Cologne), Germany July 13-15, 2018 Exploring the current state of non-classical cello music. Featuring: Reijseger Fraanje Sylla (NL/Senegal), Martin...

Photos by William Staffeld, Dave Phillips & Josanna Crookston 23rd annual New Directions Cello Festival Ithaca College, Ithaca NY June 16-18, 2017 Exploring the current state of non-classical cello music. Featuring: Malcolm Parson...

The 22nd New Directions Cello Festival took place June 3 – 5, 2016 at Humboldt State University Humboldt, California

The New Directions Cello Festival is a performance and educational forum for non-classical cello, featuring performances, workshops, and jam sessions led by guest artists (and their groups) who are pioneering new directions for cellists in a wide variety of styles. Keep an eye on this website for the latest information.

The 21st New Directions Cello Festival took place June 12 – 14, 2015., Ithaca College, Ithaca NY

The 20th New Directions Cello Festival took place June 13 – 15, 2014, Ithaca College, Ithaca NY

Guest artists: Hank Roberts and guitarist Bill Frisell, Mike Block and percussionist Sandeep Das, Stephan Braun (Germany), Emma Beaton, Pierre Michaud (Quebec/Belgium) and Cello en Vogue (Germany).

The 19th Annual New Directions Cello Festival

Cellists gather from around the country and the world to learn and share about how the cello is being used in different non-classical styles of music.

The 18th Annual New Directions Cello Festival took place at Ithaca College, Ithaca NY June 8, 9, 10, 2012

Guest artists include Matt Haimovitz and Uccello, Dave Eggar and Deoro Trio, Ancient Device with cellist Kelly Ellis, Matt Turner and Ashia Grzesik.