Music
Central Cello Celebration
Festival Information
General
October 23-24, 2026
Central Washington University
The Central Cello Celebration is a biennial summit of Northwest cellists who wish to revel in the rich cello repertoire and collaborate in a massive cello choir performance. Open to cellists of all ages! High-school and collegiate players will additionally be able to perform in recitals, workshops and masterclasses. Rehearsals of the cello choirs begin the evening of Friday October 23rd, and the Celebration culminates with the performance in the Finale Concert on the evening of the 24th. Recital and group lesson performance opportunities are open to all ages with teacher recommendation, with priority given to high school students for performances in the main masterclasses. All participants are encouraged to attend all sessions.
This year, we celebrate the idea of Heroes through the premiere of Tom Walworth’s Marvel from A to X, performances of heroic themes from across the cello literature, and recognition of the quieter heroes in our lives, especially our teachers and parents. We also look forward to learning from distinguished cello pedagogues, including featured artist and clinician Dr. Minna Rose Chung, and to honoring one of the Northwest’s own living heroes, to be announced.
All participants must complete the standard Online Registration Form. Registration cost is $95 for early bird registration and payment by September 30th, 2026, and $120 for regular registration and payment by October 17th, 2026.
Participation / Eligibility
Participants will rehearse and then perform in either the Celebration Cello Choir (high school/college level) or Debut Cello Choir (intermediate level of 2y+ experience) in the Finale Central Cello Celebration Concert. For the final premiere work, all cellists will perform together. All participants are encouraged to attend all sessions: masterclasses, discussions, rehearsals and concerts.
Students ages 4-23 are eligible to participate as a performer in the master class sessions and recitals with teacher recommendation.
Pianist Accompaniment
If you are performing and your piece requires accompaniment, you are responsible to acquire your own accompanist or request one of our contracted collaborative pianists listed below.
Faculty & Staff
Guest Performers and Clinicians
- Minna Rose Chung, Professor of Cello, University of Manitoba
- Tom Walworth, CCC Resident Composer; Orchestra Director, Thomas Jefferson H.S.
- Kara Hunnicutt, Former Principal Cellist, Yakima Symphony; Former Orchestra Director, Ellensburg Schools
- Bret Smith, Professor of Music Education, Central Washington University
- John Michel, Professor of Cello, Central Washington University
Conductors
- Celebration Cello Choir: Nikolas Caoile, Director of Orchestras, Central Washington U.
- Debut Cello Choir: Alex Pualani, Director of Yakima Music en Acción
- Lauren Edmondson, Pasco SD String Teacher
- Suzuki Play-Down Choir: Michael King, Freelance Cellist; Department Head, Suzuki Institute of Seattle
- Kevin Leiferman, Freelance Cellist; Suzuki Institute of Seattle
Special Honoree
- Roberta Hansen Downey, Seattle Symphony cellist and Seattle Bach Marathon organizer
Official Pianists
- Duane Funderburk, Professor of Collaborative Piano, Central Washington University
- Megan Titensor, Cellist/Pianist & Suzuki Teacher, Seattle
Student Coordinator
- Rebecca Bolton, CWU Music Education Major, (rebecca.bolton@cwu.edu)
Receive texts at 360-535-4568
Co-Directors
- John Michel, Professor of Cello, Central Washington University
- Michael King, Freelance Cellist; Department Head, Suzuki Institute of Seattle
- Kevin Leiferman, Freelance Cellist; Suzuki Institute of Seattle
The recitals and final concert will be live-streamed via our MusicDept YouTube channel:
Campus Housing
Register for a on-campus accomodations during the festival.
CCC Sheet Music
- Please download your parts and start enjoying practicing!
(Tentative) CCC Schedule
Optional: College-Bound Activities
Friday, October 23rd
- 8:00 am ~ Freshman Theory or other class (observe)
- 10:00 am ~ Minna works in a Music Education course: String Methods, General Music Methods, Instrumental Methods, Pedagogy, etc…
- 11:00 am - Minna talks about Three Types of Intonation!
- 12:00 pm ~ Lunch with Cello Studio Meet in Lobby
- 1-5pm Group Tech, Repertoire, Lesson (breakout sessions)
- Minna Recital Hall
- John 113
- Barbara 117
- Michael 120
- Kevin 217
- Bruce Walker 220?
- 4:00 pm ~ Questions about College (ask and discuss w/ CWU cellists) Meet in Lobby
Friday, October 23rd
- 4:00pm - 6:45pm ~ Registration/Check-In Lobby
- 5:00pm ~ Minna Chung - CelloMind and Fun in Thumb Position Recital Hall
- 7:00-7:50pm ~ Cello Celebration Recital Recital Hall
- 8:05 pm ~ All Participants Reception (meet and greet) room TBD
- 8:30 pm ~ Combined Cello Choir Rehearsal Concert Hall
- 9:15 pm ~ Debut Choir Rehearsal Room #150
Saturday, October 24th
-
- 8:00am ~ Registration/Check-In Lobby
- 8:30am
~ Suzuki Technical Workshop (8:30-9:20am) Room #113
~ Debut Choir Rehearsal (8:30-9:50am) #150
~ Festival Cello Choir Sectionals (8:30-9:05am)
Part 1 #117
Part 2 #153
Part 3 Recital Hall
Part 4 Concert Hall - 9:15am
~ Festival Cello Choir Rehearsal Concert Hall
~ Suzuki Play-Down Choir Rehearsal #113 - 10:00am
~Combined Debut and Festival Choir Rehearsal Concert Hall
~Suzuki Musicianship Session #113 - 11:00am ~ Master Class with Minna Rose Chung Recital Hall
- 12:00pm-5:30pm ~ View Sponsor Exhibits Lobby
12:00pm ~ Lunch (optional) Student Union Building
- 1:00-1:50pm ~ (optional) Small Group Open Lesson (2-4 players per room)
John Michel Recital Hall
Minna Rose Chung #150
Bruce Walker #153
Michael King #113
Kevin Leiferman #117
Barbara Balatero #120
- 2:00pm ~ Cello Celebration Recital including Suzuki Play-Down Recital Hall
- 3:00-4:30pm ~ Combined Cello Choir Rehearsal (All Participants) Concert Hall
- 4:30pm ~ Free Time / Non-Hosted Dinner (optional) El Caporal Restaurant
- 5:30pm ~ Cello Choir Call #153
- 6:00pm ~ Cello Celebration Finale Concert (All Participants) Concert Hall
- 7:05 pm ~ Farewells Rotunda
- (possible breakout hangs)
Suzuki Program Schedule
Saturday, October 24th
- 8:30 am ~ Technical Workshop
- 9:15 am ~ Play-Down Choir Rehearsal
- 10:00 am ~ Musicianship Session (Non-Readers) & Debut Choir
- 11:00 am ~ Guest Artist Masterclass with Minna Rose Chung
- 12:00 pm ~ Lunch Interval
- 1:00 pm ~ Suzuki Specific Masterclass Sessions
- 2:00 pm ~ Celebration Recital and Play-Down
- 3:00 pm ~ Combined Festival Choir Rehearsal (All Participants)
- 4:30 pm ~ Preparatory Break
- 6:00 pm ~ Finale Concert: Debut Choirs & Combined Premiere Performance
Special thanks to the CWU Music Department and our Sponsors:
Biographies
-
Minna Chung Rose: Featured Artist/Clinician
Dr. Minna Rose Chung enjoys an international career in all performance environments, taught Master Classes on four continents and is a frequent guest artist at music festivals around the world. She is co-author of “CelloMind: Intonation and Technique” (2018, Ovation Press, Ltd.), a popular book on cello methods, with Hans Jorgen Jensen (teacher emeritus of Cello from the Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University).After moving to Canada, Chung was quickly assessed as “a bright light, his intelligent musicality and rich resonance, a wonderful addition to any set” (Winnipeg Free Press). Chung performs with the DeSautels Piano Trio and the Nacka Duo, who perform extensive tours with recitals and lectures at world music conferences, focusing mainly on the art of chamber music. In 2007, Chung debuted at Carnegie Hall with his quartet of strings Pangea, presenting works of his own commissioned by the Quartet Kronos.
Currently, Chung tours as a member of the Munich Symphony Orchestra, performs regularly with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and likes to participate in several musical collaborations across the country. His international tours include Canada, UK, Sweden, Germany, Serbia, Poland, Brazil, Asia and the USA. Since 2008, Chung has been the director of the Rio project, a multi-collaborative program that supports the International Cello Meeting of Rio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) through masterclasses and teacher presentations in Brazil.
So far, she has returned to perform for Brazil in more than thirty recitals and concerts. His upcoming international recital tour includes performances in Vancouver, South Africa, Hong Kong and the Republic of Korea. Chung received in 2014 the HR Award from the University of Manitoba for exceptional contributions to scholarships and research in creative works. CelloMind: Intonation and Technique offers a systematic and unique approach to the cello technique with the left hand and unravels the mysteries of string tuning.
It was reviewed by Strad Magazine (February 2018) and Strings Magazine (April 2018). In April 2018, Chung was also the featured teacher in the long-term article by Strad Magazine “Teaching and Playing – Tones of Tartini”. Chung is the coordinator of the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Manitoba. She is also the conductor of the cellos ensemble led by students “The C-String Collective”, dedicated to the premiere of works by promising composers. His commitment to the interpretation of new songs attracted great interest from composers around the world.
-
Tom Walworth, Composer
Tom Walworth is a music educator, cellist, vocalist, and composer. He teaches orchestra, guitar, and Mariachi at Thomas Jefferson High School in Federal Way. He also coaches for the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association and the Lake Samish Music Camp. Tom is the principal cellist for Rainier Symphony and has performed with the Federal Way and Auburn Symphonies. His choral works are published by Colla Voce Music and has been the Composer-In-Residence for the Central Cello Celebration since 2008. He is a charter member and bass sectional leader of Northwest Repertory Singers (Tacoma). He studied cello with Cordelia Wikarski-Miedel and Hamilton Cheifetz, and voice with Thomas Goleeke and Bill Eddy. Tom had the honor to perform in a master class with Janos Starker in 2000 and solo with the Tacoma Community College Orchestra and the Rainier Symphony. He resides in Des Moines, WA with his family and cats. -
Michael King
Cellist Dr. Michael King is a native of Spartanburg, SC. Michael has performed both solo and chamber music across the US as part of the Oregano String Quartet and the Mordecai Cello Quartet. He received a BM in Music Performance from the University of South Carolina where he was awarded the Cello Fund Award, an MM in Music Performance from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a Certificate in Suzuki Pedagogy from The University of Denver where he was the teaching assistant to Richard Slavich and a DMA from the University of Washington where he was the teaching assistant to Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir. He has attended summer festivals such as the National Music Festival, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and The Meadowmount School for Strings. His teachers include Robert Jesselson, Brooks Whitehouse, Melissa Kraut, Richard Slavich, Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, and Carol Tarr. -
Kevin Leiferman
Cellist Kevin Leiferman grew up in Billings, Montana, and holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Montana, a Master of Music in Performance from Miami University, and Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy Certificates from the University of Denver. His primary teachers include Dr. Nancy Critelli, Fern Glass-Boyd, Pansy Chang, Richard Slavich, Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, and Carol Tarr. Based in Seattle, Kevin is a freelance cellist, a regular member of the North Corner Chamber Orchestra (NOCCO) and the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, and a frequent coach for sectionals in Seattle-area schools. A dedicated educator, he is known for his patience and for fostering a fun, engaging atmosphere in his teaching studio. -
John Michel, CWU Professor of Cello
John Michel is Professor of Cello at Central Washington University, where he has taught since 1990. He maintains an active career as a soloist, collaborative artist, and teacher. He has performed numerous concertos with orchestras including the Yakima Symphony, Rainier Symphony, Seattle Festival Orchestra, and Everett Philharmonic. With violinist Carrie Rehkopf, he has performed the Beethoven Triple and Brahms Double Concertos, including performances at the Kennedy Center.Mr. Michel has presented complete performances of J.S. Bach’s six Cello Suites from memory and appears regularly in the Seattle Bach Marathon. He was a featured artist at the First Kobe International Cello Festival in Japan and returned with his students to participate in the 1000 Cellists Concert. At the World Cello Congress III, he premiered Maria Newman’s Sonata for Solo Cello, Othmar.
He is a founding member of Kairos, the resident ensemble at Central Washington University and Icicle Creek, and has performed throughout North America and internationally, including appearances at the National Recital Hall in Taiwan. He has collaborated with a wide range of distinguished artists across disciplines. Mr. Michel founded the Internet Cello Society, an online community of more than 20,000 cellists worldwide, now permanently archived at CelloBello.org. He has served on the board of the New Directions Cello Association.
In 1996, he was named Outstanding College String Teacher by the Washington chapter of the American String Teachers Association.
- Nikolas Caoile, CWU Director of Orchestras
CWU News
Human Resources Management students earn regional, national recognition
September 28, 2026 by Rune Torgersen
Clymer Museum and CWU to celebrate First Friday Art Walk
September 28, 2026 by Marketing and Communications