ABOUT ME
MY STORYSince childhood, Cleo has always engaged with music. Whether she liked to or not! She began her current journey with cello in high school where she studied with Donna Dennison of New London, NH who taught her how to play just for herself, embrace challenge, and surrender to the music. She went on to study music at the University of Vermont where she had the privilege of studying with Suzanne Polk of Boston, MA and chamber coach Evelyn Reed, Burlington, VT.
Alongside teaching, Cleo has performed for local musical productions associated with Lyric Theatre, Vermont Stage co. UVM Theater, Burlington Civic Orchestra and currently plays with the folk-soul trio Honey&Soul.
As a teacher, Cleo hopes to pass on the gifts of her previous teachers to instill in her students a sense of ownership of their craft and softness to embrace the quirkiness of learning a musical instrument.
PAUL ROLLAND METHODMovement is a center piece in Cleo’s connection to the cello. Neck and shoulder tension were common practice partners at the beginning of Cleo’s cello studies. It wasn’t until 2016, when she was introduced to the Feldenkrais method by Austrian cellist, Joseph Luitz, that she learned how possible it was to move freely on the instrument and how powerful that dance was to deepening the tone quality of her sound.
Recently, she was introduced to the ground breaking movement based string pedagogy developed Paul Rolland and became instantly inspired. She began the process of certification shortly after that in 2022 to formally learn the language and skills around teaching freedom of movement and balance. She has received level one endorsement and is scheduled to take level 2 this fall.
Click the link to the right for more information about this technique!
HONEY & SOULHoney&Soul is an eclectic folk-soul sweetie trio that Cleo has been apart of since 2018. They play regular gigs in Burlington, VT and are currently finishing their first full length album. For more information about shows and their upcoming album release, click the link!