Cello Festival of Southern Utah

09/10/2026

See you all in the Cello Festival tomorrow and Saturday in Utah Tech~

09/05/2026

Congratulations to all participants. The 2026 finalists have been selected. See you on September 11, 2026 in Utah Tech's Eccles Concert Hall for the final round starting at 1:15pm. Feel free to join us via livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmLtNEPFPeg
Below are our finalists. Special thanks to Dr. Benjamin Whitcomb and Dr. Sophie Webber our preliminary-round adjudicators!

Junior Category:
Elian Coley
Luke Crossley
Henry France
Bright Hale
Hannah Harrison
Grant Morgan
Scott Pickett
Audrey Smith
Lily Swigert
Christopher Wilkerson Wong

Senior Category:
Naomi Bosch
Kenton Brady
Elizabeth Erickson
Mary Erickson
Aliya Gardner
Miles Higginson
Ella Johnson
Noah Larson
Seth Peterson
Taizen ThomasWong

Collegiate Category:
Laura Bullock
Yansenah Clayton
Molly George
Sequoya Lee
Raif Milligan
Max Torres
Ellie Wirthlin

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/26/2026

Hello friends,
It has been a wonderful journey to host the cello festival at Utah Tech University year after year. While we are excited about the continued success and future of the festival, here is a short documentary film of the festival produced by Kordan Media, as we revisit some beautiful moments in the past decade. Enjoy!

A documentary film of the Cello Festival of Southern Utah, celebrat...

09/25/2025

The Cello Festival of Southern Utah 2025 concluded successfully last Saturday! Special thanks to everyone who helped make it possible, from parents, teachers, volunteers to our generous sponsors~ We are especially excited to celebrate a decade of community effort as we continue to be place of inspiration, excitement and collaboration through beautiful cello music. Congratulations to all talented cellists who participated in the Brimhall Cello Competition, and those who started their journey in the Junior Festival. The special world première, various artist recitals and workshops, ASTA Cello Lecture Series, as well as small and large cello ensemble performances...etc. all brought unforgettable memories to both cellists and the general public who attended the festival events. Thank you everyone! Here are some photo highlights thanks to Kordan Media. Enjoy!

09/20/2025

Some highlights Cello Festival Day 1! See you all in the events of the final day. Thanks for all your support.

09/20/2025

Congratulations to the prize-winners of the Brimhall Cello Competition 2025! We appreciate participants from both rounds for taking part in this competition, thank you for all your gtrwtvwork. We would also share our appreciation to the adjudicators.

Jr Division:
1st Place: Mary Erickson
2nd Place: Elian Coley
3rd Place: Audrey Smith
HM: Grant Morgan
HM: Christopher Wilkinson Wong

Sr. Division:
1st Place: Blake Purser
2nd Place: Dalloway Smith
3rd Place Tie: Ella Johnson, Yejoon Jung

Collegiate Division:
1st Place: Stella Wadsworth
2nd Place: Hayoung Kim
3rd Place: Max Torres
HM: Matthew Bailey

09/19/2025

Friends,
Join us for the following Cello Festival of Southern Utah (TODAY and TOMORROW) events open to anyone (no ticket needed) either in person or watch the livestream!

Brimhall Cello Competition
September 19, 2025 (Friday), 2:00-6:00pm
Eccles Concert Hall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDEk1UEGAk0

Artist Recital 1:
September 19, 2025 (Friday), 7:00pm
Eccles Concert Hall
Daniel Gaisford, cello
Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel, piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM8Ir4JKyes&ab_channel=UtahTechUniversityMusicDepartment

Artist Recital 2:
September 19, 2025 (Friday), 7:30pm
Eccles Concert Hall
Hojung Kim, cello
Dr. Nariaki Sugiura, piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slMlNBxLDOI&ab_channel=UtahTechUniversityMusicDepartment )

Artist Recital 3:
September 19, 2025 (Friday), 7:30pm
Eccles Concert Hall
Duo Cantabile
Dr. Simona Barbu, cello
Dr. Nariaki Sugiura, piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V03oVqW6Jsw&ab_channel=UtahTechUniversityMusicDepartment

ASTA Cello Lecture Series "Exploring Expression":
Sept 20 (Saturday) at 11am in Eccles Concert Hall
Dr. Elliott and Carey Cheney will discuss ideas from great cellists and musicians about meaning in music and offer practical suggestions on how different aspects of cello technique can be used to make music more meaningful to the audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa8NwvByTb8&ab_channel=UtahTechUniversityMusicDepartment

Matinee Chamber Concert:
Sept 20 (Saturday) at 2pm in Eccles Concert Hall
The chamber concert will showcase first-prize winners of the Brimhall Cello Competition 2025, chamber ensembles Amichevoli and Cellomania USA, as well as artist-faculty performances, concluding with Klengel's Hymnus for 12 Cellos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do_POwfL6_E&ab_channel=UtahTechUniversityMusicDepartment

Final Cello Ensemble Concert:
Sept 20 (Saturday) at 7:30pm in Eccles Concert Hall
All three Festival cello ensembles (beginners, intermediate & advanced) will perform a diverse program of music written or arranged for cellos in multiple parts. Featured performing artists include Dr. Robert Tueller, Dr. Ka-Wai Yu, and Eric Yip featuring a world première of Karry Li's Over the Harbour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUq5FujrWmQ&ab_channel=UtahTechUniversityMusicDepartment )

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

09/12/2025

The Junior Festival has always been an important part of the cello festival, having great artists working with beginners and young intermediate players! Meet Peter Romney and Erica Hardy. Take a listen!

09/10/2025

Join us for an interview with Adrian Lo from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco, cellist Eric Yip, singer/pianist Lai-Yan Ip and Hong Kong composer Karry Li about a special collaboration, world première, and additional events as part of the upcoming Cello Festival!