Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra Appoints Three New Cellists

Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra Appoints Three New Cellists

Duluth, Georgia native Jackie Ludwig Selby leads an active life performing and teaching in the New England area. She began her musical studies with piano lessons at age three and performed on National Public Radio’s “From the Top” at age 16. That same year she decided to pursue cello instead. Since then, she has performed as a part of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Series and Music from Salem, performed regularly with the Marsh Chapel Collegium, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and was a part of the Numinous Ensemble in New York City. She particularly enjoys learning new music and has premiered works by composers including Ana Milosavljevic, Eriks Esenvalds, and Scott Wheeler. She has taught for Boston String Academy, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, and taught yoga at Boston University for about a decade. Jackie earned her bachelor’s in cello performance from Boston University, studying with George Neikrug, and her master’s in cello performance from New England Conservatory, studying with Natasha Brofsky. Currently she enjoys gardening, taking ballet classes, and playing with her nieces when she has free time. 

Megan Koch is an avid chamber musician, having performed chamber music throughout the New England area in collaboration with several series and groups, including the Meeting House Chamber Music Festival, Newport String Project, the Nth Degree Chamber Ensemble, and the new music ensemble Verdant Vibes. Recently, she has been collaborating with local pianist Andrew Welch, performing concerts in Rhode Island and surrounding areas. Megan has been a member of Cape Symphony, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, in addition to playing with New Bedford Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Symphony San Jose and San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. As a coach and teacher, Megan teaches privately in addition to teaching with Musicians for the World, a non-profit offering online lessons to students in underserved areas of the world. She has a master’s degree in chamber music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied under Jean-Michel Fonteneau, and holds a bachelor of music degree from the Peabody Institute, where she studied with Alan Stepansky. Megan resides in Rhode Island with her husband and two daughters. 

Cellist Claire Dresselhuis is recognized for her emotive tone and musical versatility. A native Canadian, Claire studied at the University of Victoria in British Columbia where she won the university’s Unaccompanied Bach Competition with her interpretation of Bach’s Second Suite for Solo Cello and had the privilege of performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto with her alma mater. Dresselhuis has been a featured solo and chamber artist at Vancouver Art Gallery’s “Out for Lunch Concert Series,” the Nanaimo and Victoria Chamber festivals, and the Visual Space Art Gallery in Vancouver. Claire completed her master’s in cello at the University of North Texas, where she regularly performed with the Irving, Plano, Richardson and San Angelo symphonies. Since relocating to the New England area, Claire has built up a studio of cello students as the faculty cellist at the Westport School of Music in Connecticut, and regularly performs with the Norwalk and Hartford orchestras, as well as Opera Connecticut. Amid her performing and teaching schedule, Claire is currently completing her artistic diploma at the Hartt College of Music with Mihai Tetel. Although classically trained, Claire’s affinity for jazz often inspires her arrangements and compositions for cello and voice. Her enjoyment of improvising and navigating other genres of music has lent itself to Claire becoming a sought-after studio cellist. When she is not playing her cello, Claire enjoys bike riding, curry making, and adding to her ever-expanding tea supply.