Sophie Benn, cello

Sophie Benn, cello, praised for her “brilliant technical prowess” (Cleveland Classical), Sophie Benn enjoys a multifaceted career as a cellist, musicologist, and educator. She serves as the principal cellist of CityMusic Chamber Orchestra and was also a founding member of the Cleveland Cello Quartet. A specialist in contemporary music, Sophie performs regularly with local new music groups, commissions new work, and is an Artistic Director of Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project (CUSP), a presenting organization for experimental contemporary musicians and sound artists. Sophie also performs as a baroque cellist, having studied under Julie Andrijeski and Jaap ter Linden. She has participated in many music festivals both in the United States and abroad, including those at Aspen, Banff, and Lucerne (Switzerland), where she served as principal cellist of the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra in 2018. A graduate of Rice University and the Cleveland Institute of Music, Sophie is pursuing a Ph.D. in musicology at Case Western Reserve University, where she studies notation and the performing body.