Cello Lessons with Rei Otake

Rei Otake (b.1993) is a cellist and educator with deep interdisciplinary interests ranging from music to science and social innovation. As a soloist and chamber musician, Rei has performed in venues including Carnegie Recital Hall and the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, and has appeared in masterclasses with Jeremy Denk, Benjamin Zander, and the Parker Quartet. He has also performed in world-class venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, KKL Luzern, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and Carnegie Hall as a member of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Rei is also a passionate educator. He has previously worked as a teaching assistant at the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston and El Sistema Japan, and has also taught cello privately since 2012. He also has significant teaching experiences outside of music, as he was previously a director/senior instructor at an after-school education program called Tokyo Academics. Both with music and academics, Rei believes that harnessing a student’s curiosity and passion is the key to helping any student thrive, and his teaching philosophy is based on tapping into these key elements.

Rei earned his B.A. from Harvard College in 2015, and his M.M. from the Manhattan School of Music in 2021. He is currently pursuing a Professional Studies Certificate at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Prof. Philippe Muller.