Natalie Spehar, An active classical, rock and folk performer, Natalie has studied the cello for fourteen years and has been a member of several ensembles, including the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (principal), the Athenaeum String Quartet (featured artists in a series of pre-concerts of The Cleveland Orchestra), a contemporary Christian folk group, several rock bands and, most recently, the Élan Duo (with Doug O’Connor, saxophone), the Great Noise Ensemble, and the D.C.-based rock cello ensemble, Primitivity.

Natalie has performed as a soloist with Graham Reynolds in The Kennedy
Center’s presentation of The Difference Engine, with the University of Maryland Percussion Ensemble and with the Canton Symphony Orchestra and has also been awarded several scholarships, including the Canton MacDowell Club Scholarship and the Howard Hanson Scholarship toward her studies at the Eastman School of Music. In summer 2009, she was one of five American performers selected to participate in Northeastern University’s Fusion Arts Exchange, a program and concert tour funded by the U.S. Department of State that featured young musicians from six countries. Natalie has also enjoyed several exciting studio recording projects and has recently composed and recorded the soundtrack for the short animated film, Test Anxiety, that has been featured since at international film festivals in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C.

Natalie holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance as well as a Certificate in Arts Leadership from Eastman School of Music, where she studied with cellist Alan Harris. An avid supporter of music outreach, Natalie has recently served as an Arts & Learning Intern for Young Audiences, Inc., an educator for Music For Life, and a performing member of the MacDowell Music Club, all national organizations dedicated to encouraging and providing community music education. Natalie is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she studies with Evelyn Elsing.