Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra Appoints New Principal Cellist

Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra Appoints New Principal Cellist 

Cellist Brent Selby will begin his new role at the April 9 American Classics concert at The VETS. 

Following auditions held in March, Brent Selby has been named as the new Principal Cellist of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mr. Selby is from the small town of Bath, North Carolina, where he was raised on a farm. Up until age 11, he thought he would end up farming, but after seeing Yo Yo Ma perform on PBS, he decided he was interested in music and learning to play the cello. Luckily, a retired violinist had recently moved to the area and agreed to teach him until she could find him a proper cello teacher. He eventually went on to study with Wendy Bissinger and then, at 17, with Emanuel Gruber, from the cello faculty of East Carolina University. He earned his bachelor’s degree from New England Conservatory, studying with Natasha Brofsky and then privately studied with violinist Mela Tenenbaum. 

“I feel very lucky and thankful for this wonderful opportunity,” states Brent Selby. “I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in this new role.” 

In 2018, Mr. Selby joined the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s cello section, and in 2021 he was appointed assistant principal cellist of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. In addition to performing with various local ensembles, Mr. Selby began teaching cello for Lifelong Learning Academy in Franklin, MA, where he has now been teaching for 10 years. He is passionate about providing quality music instruction for children as much as he loves performing. And, although he swore off farming, he currently resides in Franklin, MA, with his wife Jackie, who is also a cellist and ropes him into weeding her ever-expanding garden.