Ruth is cellist and founding member of several chamber ensembles, including the Castalia Quartet of the Catskills, Fenimore String Quartet, the Magellan String Quartet, the Continuo Collective of the South, Trio d’Esprit, and Ensemble Sonaris. She gives recitals of popular classics with Ensembles Intermezzo, and designs entertaining educational programs for various chamber ensembles, including her Tin Pail Tales interactive performances which are popular with early childhood learning centers and other literacy development programs. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the musician-run chamber orchestra, Lyra Vivace, and a unique musician collective, In Praise of Music.
Ruth has recently moved to her hometown of Hamilton, NY after living in Augusta, GA for many years (where she worked as principal cello of the Augusta Opera and Symphony and served as an artist in residence with the Magellan String Quartet at Georgia Southern University).
Ruth currently teaches ‘cello at Colgate University, Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta.
Since 1986, Ruth performs during the summers with the Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra (specializing in solo continuo accompaniment on baroque or modern cello when the programming calls for it)–and, when not in the orchestra pit, lives in her historic and award-winning Kitt Shipman Memorial Chapel in Springfield Center, NY. During the “off summer” months, Ruth travels regularly to perform for arts organizations throughout the North and SouthEastern USA.
Ruth attributes her rewarding journey as a musician largely to the opportunities offered by Colgate University during her childhood: she first studied cello with Hamilton resident Cathy McLelland (who moved to Hamilton with her husband, Colgate professor emeritus Jim McLelland, following studies with the famed cellist Aldo Parisot). As a member of the Colgate Orchestra during her youth, Ruth also was mentored by string quartet members then in residence (The Amici/Madison and Manhattan Quartet), especially Stephen Stalker with whom she studied.
Ruth went to college at Boston University (where she studied cello with Leslie Parnas and received the Edwin E. Stein Award for Excellence in the Arts). Her graduate degree and studies at Cornell University were in musicology, analytical techniques and performance practice. Ruth is currently working on an Advanced Certificate in Labor Studies from the Cornell School of Industrial Labor Relations.
- Young Scots Christian Curnyn leads a modern band that incorporates baroque continuo. Michael Leopold’s theorbo pokes its long neck up from the pit like a periscope. Leopold also plays baroque arch lute and there are the pleasures of Ruth Berry’s baroque cello and David Moody’s harpsichord.-Notes from Philly (review of Tolomeo 8/06/2010)
- The musical proceedings were masterfully helmed by conductor Christian Curnyn … He was ably abetted by the sensitive playing from Ruth Berry (Continuo), Michael Leopold (Theorbo) …-Opera Today 24 Aug 2010
Laura lives in New York City and teaches cello and orchestra at Trinity School on the Upper West Side. She is currently a section cellist with the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra and is a founding member of the Parlor City Celli.
A native Midwesterner, Laura began playing cello at the age of 10, and by the time she was in high school, she was already teaching private and group cello lessons. Laura has studied with cellists Hans Jørgen Jensen, Wei Yu, Rupei Yeh, Jeffrey Zeigler, and Jeffrey Solow. She has toured internationally throughout South America, Europe, and the United States. In New York, she has performed at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Stern Auditorium, David Geffen Hall, Riverside Church, St. John the Divine, and Alice Tully Hall.
In 2013, Laura completed a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Music and a minor in Russian at Barnard College, Columbia University, where she was awarded the Dolan Prize Scholarship for excellence in music performance and the Star Award for outstanding leadership. As a result of winning the Columbia University chamber competition, she was invited to perform at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. Laura received her Master of Music in Cello Performance from Mannes School of Music in 2016. After a year with Carnegie Hall’s Artist Training Program, Laura completed her Suzuki cello teacher training from the School for Strings and the Chicago Suzuki Institute of Music.
Laura loves going on outdoor adventures, learning new languages, and playing strategic board games.
Christine Crookall is currently a Professor of Music in the Music Department at Augusta University, Georgia. Christine teaches applied cello lessons, music history, humanities, ear training, sightsinging, and string methods. From 1999 to 2001 Christine Crookall served as Director for the University of Texas String Project, a nationally respected teacher-training program for graduate and undergraduate students at The University of Texas in Austin.
Christine Crookall earned her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Cello Performance at The University of Texas at Austin where she studied cello and pedagogy with internationally acclaimed pedagogue Professor Phyllis Young. A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Dr. Crookall started playing cello with Audrey Nodwell at the Vancouver Academy of Music. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of British Columbia with former Emerson Quartet cellist Eric Wilson.
Christine has given workshops and masterclasses at public schools, universities and summer conferences located in Western Canada, Texas, Georgia and Europe. She has also performed in solo and chamber music recitals in Canada, the United States and Europe. Dr. Crookall was a member of the Austin Symphony Orchestra from 1999 to 2001, and is currently a member of the Symphony Orchestra Augusta and Trio Augusta.
Christine lives in Evans, GA with her husband Ryan Kho and their son Aidan.
Michael serves as the assistant principal cellist in the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra and is a founding member of the Parlor City Celli. He is from Southampton, PA, and travels to play with several community orchestras, including the Warminster Symphony Orchestra, Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey and Bryn Athyn Orchestra.
An avid chamber musician, Michael was a member of the Vernon String Quartet, which was selected as Peabody’s Honors Ensemble for the 2017-2018 season. They performed at the Society of Four Arts in Florida and had the pleasure of collaborating with Michael Kannen, former cellist of the Brentano String Quartet, in Baltimore. In the summer of 2018, Michael attended the Manchester Music Festival as a cello fellowship recipient in the Young Artists Program. Additionally, Michael was a member of the Peabody String Sinfonia, a conductor-less string ensemble that performs exclusively at community venues with a mission to bring the beauty of music to people in challenging situations.
Michael also enjoys performing and collaborating as a recording artist. As a soloist, he premiered two separate works for cello, written by composer Zach Gulaboff Davis.
Michael earned his master’s degree in cello performance from the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. He was a recipient of the Marc von May Cello Scholarship and studied with distinguished cellist, Alan Stepansky. Michael received his bachelor’s degree from the Boyer College of Music at Temple University, under the tutelage of Udi Bar-David, a cellist in the Philadelphia Orchestra.
An avid car enthusiast, Michael has a collection of unique and rare Mustangs which he enjoys driving and taking to car shows.
Lisa Pham began studying Violoncello at the University of North Georgia where she received her Associate of Arts in Music. She moved to Augusta in 2012 to further her music studies and received her Bachelor of Arts in Music at Augusta University. She often performs with various chamber ensembles and orchestras in the South East. During the summer, she works as a Camp Counselor at Laurel Ridge Music Camp, and during the school year, she is an Orchestra Director at East Aiken School of the Arts.
Justin Resley comes from a musical family in West Texas and New Mexico where most all of his family play an instrument (fiddle, guitar, etc.) He left El Paso to go to center city Philadelphia and study with the late Orlando Cole of the Curtis String Quartet, from there he moved to Cleveland to study with the prinicpal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra, Stephen Geber at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he graduated with a BM and MM.
Justin played with Cleveland Opera and Ballet while going back to school for Cardiovascular Perfusion at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He worked at INOVA Fairfax Hospital for 14 years before moving to Augusta to become the chief Perfusionist at the Medical College of Georgia. He has played with Symphony Orchestra Augusta, Augusta Opera, as well as The South Carolina Philharmonic. Currently he is a staff perfusionist at University Hospital and is on the search committee for the new conductor of the Symphony Orchestra Augusta.
Amy is a native of Augusta, GA. She has studied cello with Ruth Berry, Douglas Graves and David Starkweather. She is a certified Kindermusik instructor and holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University in music performance. She is currently working on a degree in Nursing.
Amy has been performing and teaching in the Augusta area for the past 5 years, and is employed at both Augusta State University and Carolina Music Academy. When she has spare time, she likes to spend time with her family and play with her dogs.
Hakan is Principal Cellist of Binghamton Philharmonic and founding member of the Parlor City Celli. A native of Binghamton, Hakan has wonderful opportunities to collaborate with artists locally and in the Central NY region and in NYC including- Ensemble Concord at the Kilmer Mansion, Pej Reitz, Contemporary Music at Cornell, SUNY Binghamton Faculty novo4tet, DeVere String Quartet, Cypress Willow Quartet, Bach Works NYC, 92nd Street Y Chamber Music Program. Hakan has performed with many regional arts organizations, including the Tri-Cities Opera, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Catskill Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes.
Hakan’s creative collaborations in the role of resident artist, curator and cellist have helped initiate, along with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, the Musicians Choice series at the Arnot and Rockwell Museums. His imaginative partnerships have also found nourishment at the SPOOL MFG (Spool Contemporary Art Space), the not-for-profit organization founded by Binghamton University Professor Don DeMauro.
Hakan attended Ithaca College, SUNY Purchase, and SUNY Binghamton. He has studied cello with many great musicians, including Peter Wiley, Daniel Phillips, Marion Feldman, Stephen Stalker, Einar J. Holm and Fritz Wallenberg.
Hakan is also a gifted gardener and chef.
Top of Page
I would love to find a cello player for my daughters wedding next November. How can I get in contact with someone??