Young Cello Artists

Alice HaEun Cho
South Korean-Canadian cellist, Alice Cho, is pursuing her master's in music education at Eastern Michigan University and the graduate assistant in Orchestral Studies where she serves as the principal of cello section of the EMU Symphony Orchestra. Alice is a regular participant of multiple festivals and competitions where she has received awards including the Anna Margaret Wallace and Willam Alexander Mccoy Scholarship, the Colin Hampton Award, the Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Award, Muir Laura Kinton, and Sharon Stevenson Career Development Scholarship. She is also the winner of the 2020 Gradate Performance Competition at EMU's School of Music & Dance performing the Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor. Alice has participated in masterclasses with Laurence Lesser, Joseph Johnson, Winona Zelenka, Rachel Mercer, Barry Schiffman, Gryphon Trio, Orford Quartet, and Shauna Rolston. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Cello Performance from the University of Toronto where she studied with Shauna Rolston.

Delani Creech
Delani Creech is in her first year at Eastern Michigan University and currently pursuing her Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance. A native of Clawson, Michigan, she was a student of Jordan Schug for four years prior to working with Professor Pae. In high school she participated yearly in MSBOA's State Solo and Ensemble, performed in her high school's orchestra, and participated annually in Oakland University's High School Honors Orchestra. She was also a founding member of the Independent String Program of Berkley, a program that focuses on improvised music, and is now a student assistant coach in the program. In her free time she enjoys reading, playing video games, and hanging out with her friends.

Nia Crutcher

Grace Frielink
A native of Sycamore, Illinois, Grace Frielink is pursuing her bachelor's degree in Music Therapy at Eastern Michigan University. Prior to working with Professor Pae, she was a student of Linc Smelser for six years. During her time in high school, Grace participated in all-state festivals, was a member of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and performed the Lalo cello concerto with her high school orchestra. She also teaches violin and cello at Expressions Music Academy and in her free time, she enjoys shooting film and digital photography, and reading.

Athena Goppold
Athena Goppold is currently pursuing a degree in Music Therapy at Eastern Michigan University. Originally a biology major with a general music minor, she auditioned for music therapy at the end of her second year. During those first two years, it was evident that Athena's passion for music outweighed any of her other interests; she found herself spending more and more time playing cello.
When speaking about her encounter with music, Athena states, "Everything clicked when I learned what music therapy actually was; I had never heard of the profession until joining the EMU Cello Studio. Since starting music therapy, I have taken my cello studies very seriously; I am excited to perform the first movement of the Haydn Cello Concerto in C Major next month at the Undergraduate Symposium. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities that I have here; I would not be where I am today without the EMU Cello studio."

Benjamin Kletzli
Ben Kletzli has been playing the cello since he was five years old. Presently, he is a full-time music student at Concordia University and a guest student at Eastern Michigan University in the studio of Professor Pae. Ben has been a member of a number of musical ensembles over the years including Oakland Homeschool Music, The Suzuki Association of MI, Tuesday Musicale of Detroit Student League, and the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra. He has also enjoyed attending music festivals such as Blue Lake and Interlochen, and looks forward to more opportunities in the future. Ben's other interests include singing, roller skating, snowboarding, and golfing.

Lauren McKague
Michigan native, Lauren McKague is a student at EMU's Early College Alliance, a unique educational program designed to fully immerse high school-aged students into the post-secondary learning environment. She started cello at thirteen years old and quickly fell in love with the instrument. Two years later, upon joining the ECA program, she joined the EMU CELLO Studio. Lauren currently works with the Civic Youth Ensembles through the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She is very grateful for the opportunities the EMU cello studio has given her, and plans to continue with EMU through a bachelor’s degree in cello performance. After that, she hopes to pursue a cello career.

Jillian Sanders
Jillian Sanders is a music therapy major and completed her course work in December 2019. She recently accepted an internship position at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan! CMHI is a civil psychiatric facility where Jillian will be supervised by Julia Lamb (M.M., MT-BC), who practices Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT). NMT is the therapeutic use of music applied to sensory, speech and language, cognitive, and motor dysfunctions after a neurologic event or diagnosis. This therapy examines how music is processed and perceived in the brain, and how music therapists can use that as a tool in neuro-rehabilitation to improve non-musical goals.
To further develop her musical and pedagogical skills, she has been extensively teaching lessons in cello, piano, voice, guitar and ukulele. During Jillian's time at Eastern, she was awarded the Dillman Scholarship, which was awarded based on her achievements in performance and creativity specific to her major.
Recent EMU CELLO Alumni:

Jamie Gallupe
Jamie Gallupe
Jamie Gallupe completed her B.M in Cello Performance in 2017, and went on to do a master's degree at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Cello Performance with a major in Historical Performance on baroque cello and viola da gamba, graduating in 2019.
Some highlights during her time there include- serving as Musician in Residence at the Edenwald Community, receiving the Viola da Gamba Society of America’s Professional Development Grant, performing a concerto with the Baltimore Baroque Band, and representing Peabody at the Bloomington Early Music Festival. Additional performances include the Peabody Opera, Peabody String Sinfonia, Peabody Renaissance Ensemble, Charm City Baroque, and the Peabody Renaissance Chamber Ensemble. After completing her master's, Jamie moved back to Ann Arbor where she serves as faculty at the Ann Arbor Community School of Music teaching cello, chamber music, as well as serving as assistant director of the Brandenburg Project. She also acts as Director of Choral Activities at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Ypsilanti, and boasts a robust private studio. In the summer of 2019 Jamie was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Viola da Gamba Society of America.
Recent performances and ongoing collaborations include: Audivi, The Bach Abel Society, Musica Spira (Baltimore), The Flint Symphony, L’invenzione, The Mirai Collective, and the University of Michigan Chamber Choir. In March 2020 Jamie looks forward to premiering the program “Witches: Revered and Reviled” with Burning River Baroque in Cleveland, which includes a newly commissioned opera “The Ballad of Mary and Margaret” by Alexis Bacon.

Thomas Loescher

Anthony Marchese
