My teaching principles are greatly influenced by the 10 years that I worked in Berkeley with Margaret Rowell. During this time I also benefitted by observing and being coached by Irene Sharp and Nicholas Anderson. I continue to seek coaching on a yearly basis and play chamber music regularly.
In college, I studied cello with an excellent teacher, Gary Hardie, at New Mexico State University , then as a scholarship student of his at Baylor University.
After graduating from college, my formative years of cello were spent in San Francisco Bay area where I had the great fortune to work with the wonderful pedagogue and inspiring individual, Margaret Rowell, for most of 10 years. During that time I also was invited to observe many of Irene Sharp's group classes and took private cello lessons with both Irene Sharp and Nicholas Anderson. For several summers. I participated in the Angwin Summer Camp to be coached on solo cello repertoire and chamber music with Margaret Rowell, Irene Sharp and Kato Havas. During this time I was a member of a quartet for several years with a professional coach. I also free-lanced as a cellist, gave house concerts, played with UC Berkeley Symphony, San Francisco Chamber Players, and subbed with Berkeley Symphony and the Vallejo Opera Orchestra.
As my husband studies apes and monkeys, I spent 2.5 years in the jungles of Sumatra helping him collect data on his doctoral dissertation on siamang and white-handed gibbon and practicing on my aluminum cello. During this time, I played in the cello section of Singapore Youth Symphony during their week long stay in Medan, Indonesia and performed the cello in several villages in Aceh Tenggara, in the spirit of cultural exchange. In consequent years, I had a large cello studio in Villanova, Pa and taught at the Nelly Berman School of Music while freelancing as a chamber musician and orchestral player in the Greater Philadelphia area. During those years I received cello coaching from Ovidiu Marinescu and Debbie Davis.
Scientific studies have taken our family to some of the remotest corners of the globe. I spent 2.5 years in a nature reserve in the Okavango Delta assisting my husband with his post-doctoral study on baboons. We had a six month old infant (now in his twenties) and lived in a large tent, again with my aluminum cello, then returned again for research with out second son. I was fortunate the baboons loved the Bach Suites for solo cello! This was an unforgettable time of great adventure, hard work and amazing memories! I performed in a few lodges downstream and had a 2 day seminar on Alexander Technique by a visiting specialist from London! In succeeding years, we have found ourselves in Ecuador for six months, where I performed with Quito Chamber Orchestra, a return trip to the Okavango Delta for 8 months and five years in Laikipia, Kenya. During these scientific excursions, we homeschooled our two children most of K-8 . During this time abroad I performed cello and chamber music whenever possible. I played the lovely Faure Cantique de Jean Racine with Nairobi Symphony and gave concerts in many schools in rural Kenya. My sons and I participated in Reader to Reader and with the help of Wicoff Elementary, Stuart Country Day School and Princeton Day School, we collected over 2000 books for two local schools in Laikipia, Kenya. During the 4 months of each year we were in the U.S., I freelanced with Plainfield Symphony and taught early childhood music at Westminster Conservatory of Music in addition to coaching my former cello students.
Now I am stateside, except for an occasional trip to Africa in the summer as my sons are in high school and college. I have a large studio and love teaching, coaching, and playing chamber music .
Résumé
Kristin Mavournin Palombit Violoncellist and Chamber Music Teacher |
Professional Affiliations
ASTA, NJMTA, MTNA
Ensembles / Performing / Private Teaching
Fall 2022-2023 Private coaching with Elinor Frey, Baroque Cello
July 2022 Audited Vivace Foundation two weeks of Cello Master Classes
August 2021 Audited two week Bach Cello Suite Workshop
Jan 2019-Dec 2020 Cellist in a regular reading quartet that meets weekly, (except for pandemic), play in an improv Celtic ensemble a couple times a year. I am currently having coaching sessions with a Baroque Cellist, and actively learning more about improvisation as a performer and teacher. I am also writing a play. In August of 2020 I audited two weeks of the International Master Class run by Ovidiu Marinescu, participated in the two week Cello Bello Teacher Training Seminar, and am currently enrolled in the Cello Bello Audition Preparation Workshop. My students participate regularly in ASTACAP certificate program.
Jan 04- Dec 2018 Freelance cellist, New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra, Plainfield Symphony, Chamber Music Ensembles including a regular string trio and quartet. Through the years, coaching by Jonathan Spitz and Ovidiu Marinescu. Active Cello Studio with two recitals a year.
Sep 99-Jun 03 Cello Coaching, cello students in Philadelphia area
Dec. 04 Solo recital, Mt. Kenya Academy, Nyeri, Kenya
June 02 Solo with Nairobi Orchestra, Kenya
March 1999-June 1999 Cellist with Quito Chamber Orchestra, Quito, Ecuador
March 1997-Jan 1999 Cello teacher and Chamber Music coach at Nelly Berman School of Music, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (8 students)
July 1995-Jan 1999 Private cello studio, Active Chamber Musician and Freelance Cellist in Philadelphia area (performed Quartet recital 96, Brahms Sextet 97, piano trio recital 98)
November 1995, March 1996 Union substitute for Allentown Symphony
May 1994, May 1995 Solo recital, Delta Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana
July 1992- May 1993 Active cello studio in Villanova, Pennsylvania (students from Wayne Middle School, Radnor High School): private cello instruction and cello ensembles
March, 1992 Vallejo Opera Orchestra production of Tosca
May, 1990-June, 1992 Free-lance substitute with Berkeley Symphony Orchestra (Kent Nagano, Director)
March, 1992-June, 1992 San Francisco Concerto Orchestra (Jeffrey Gallegos, Director)
January, 1988-May, 1990 University of California Berkeley Symphony Orchestra (Michael Senturia, Director), cello section
November, 1987 Performed in concert with University of Singapore Symphony in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia
1980-1981 Member of A.F.M., Texas. Performed in various concerts with Baylor Symphony, Waco Symphony and San Angelo Symphony
1976-1981 New Mexico State University Symphony, Chamber Orchestra, and Cello Ensemble; also taught cello privately for 6 years and through university prep division.
EMPLOYMENT:
Sep 09- June 10 Conductor of the Community Middle School 6th Grade Chamber Orchestra
Sep 05- July 09 Assistant to Jean Mauro, Orchestra director at West Windsor Plainsboro High School South, in charge of teaching lessons/coaching all strings from three orchestras (one string ensemble, Camerata-full orchestra, and Philharmonia-full orchestra). Toured with the High School South orchestras to Russia, Boston, Austria and Toronto.
August, 2007 Co-designed Princeton Bach Workshop with Swiss cellist, Eva Kuhn, a three day workshop on Bach cello suites with Lynn Beiler, guest lecturers and a master class with Jonathan Spitz.
Jan 05-Sep 05 Teaching faculty Waldorf School, Princeton, New Jersey; strings department, 4th and 5th Grade cello classes, orchestra support.
Sep 02-June 03 Teaching faculty, Waldorf School, Princeton, strings department, 4th and 5th grade cello classes
Sep 99-June 05 Teaching faculty, Westminster Choir College, Early Childhood Music Department, music teacher for corporate contracts and early childhood courses (all Playground-Gateways 4, additional teaching experience at French School one semester). Training with Kathleen Bullivant and Luann Longenecker.
December 1996-March 1997 Substitute cello faculty, Villa Maria Academy Department of Music
EDUCATION
August 2021 Audited Bach Cello Suites Workshop (2 weeks) Matt Haimovitz, Phoebe Carrai, Jennifer Morsches, Elinor Frey
July 2020 Audited International Musicians Academy masterclass (2 weeks) Ovidiu Marinescu, Amparo Cruz, Harro Ruijsenaars, Cheung Chau, Sylvia Ahramjian, Ceara Caisido, Heather Salyers, Blanca Bednarz, Ben Sayevich
August 2020 Audited 2020 Cello Bello Teacher Training Seminar (2 weeks) Madeleine Golz, Sandy Kiefer, Andrea Fun, Mike Block, Yari Bond
Fall 2019 Baroque Coaching Session Cassandra Luckhardt
August 07, 2008 Achieved State of New Jersey, Department of Education, Certificate of Eligibility (CE).
June 02, 2006 Successfully completed Praxis exam in Music Content Knowledge through ETS
August 2005 Completed Orff Level One training at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey
September 07-present Coaching with Jonathan Spitz, Rutgers University, New Jersey Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
September 07-Mar 08 Coaching with conductor Chiu-tze Lin, pianist and director of Bravura Philharmonic.
August 98-June 05 Training in early childhood music, child development and Westminster Choir College early childhood curriculum
April 1999 One week pedagogical training with cellist, Nick Anderson (a prominent trainer of Margaret Rowell’s pedagogical and philosophical approach to the cello, and freelance soloist in New York City), Quito, Ecuador
March 97-present Private coaching with cellist, Dr. Ovidiu Marinescu
February, 1995 Two day session on Alexander Technique, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
January, 1982-June, 1992 Private study with Margaret Rowell, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
January, 1988-June 1992 Private study with cellist, Nicholas Anderson, Berkeley, California
January, 1988-May, 1989 Private study with cellist, Irene Sharp, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
May 1976-December 1981 Private study with cellist, Gary Hardie, now at Baylor University
August 1990-May 1992 Cellist in string quartet with weekly professional coaching, Berkeley, California
August, 1983-84 Angwin Music School, study with Irene Sharp, Margaret Rowell, chamber music coaching
1977-1981 Studied with Gary Hardie, Assistant Professor of Music, New Mexico State University. I was selected to perform in four N.M.S.U. Music department student Honor’s recitals
1977-1981 Music Scholarship, New Mexico State University
August, 1981 Music Scholarship, Baylor University in Waco, Texas to continue studies with Gary Hardie.
July, 1980 and 1981 Sacramento Chamber Music Camp
May, 1981 B.A. French with Honors (German Minor), New Mexico State University
July, 1977 Scholarship student, Institut Catholique Paris, France
1974-1975 Liceul Adi Sincai (Romanian High School) Cluj-Napoca, Romania, private cello lessons at Cluj conservatory of Music