Grace Sommer, cello

 A native of Atlanta, Georgia, cellist Grace Sommer began her studies at the age of ten. She most recently studied with Eric Kim in the Performance Diploma for Orchestral Studies program at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Grace earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Dr. Melissa Kraut while also earning her Suzuki Teacher Certification. Her other teachers and mentors include Daniel Laufer, Paul Kushious, Jim Lee, Alan Rafferty, Darrett Adkins, and Joel Dallow. Grace’s enthusiasm for orchestra has been highlighted by performing as a guest in the cello sections of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, and Richmond Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2017, Grace received the cello fellowship for the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Institute for Orchestral Studies program, which included six weeks of intense training and concerts with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada. An avid chamber musician, Grace has played in concerts around the country and has worked with members of the Cavani, Miami, Cleveland, and Emerson Quartets, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Charles Castleman. Recently, Grace has enjoyed playing at the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival in East Aurora, NY during the summer and has previously spent her summers studying at the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Kent-Blossom Music Festival, and the Chautauqua Institution Music School Festival Orchestra. When not playing cello, Grace enjoys trail running, vegan food, and long walks with her dog, Charlie.