Nathaniel Yaffe, cello

** On leave, 2023.

Nathaniel Yaffe, cellist and recording engineer, joined the cello section of the North Carolina Symphony in 2013. He has served as the recording engineer for the North Carolina Symphony since 2016. Nathaniel is a founding member of the Oak City String Quartet, and Cello Fourum, a cello quartet. Nathaniel has engineered and produced recordings that have been broadcast on WCPE (The Classical Station) and WUNC (North Carolina Public Radio).

Nathaniel has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the New World Symphony. A two-time Orchestral String Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and School, Nathaniel was a member of the Aspen Chamber Symphony and the Aspen Festival Orchestra. Nathaniel’s accomplishments as a recording producer and engineer include recordings of the North Carolina Symphony and the North Carolina Opera, in addition to the debut album of 2008 Naumburg International Violoncello Competition First Prize Winner David Requiro, which was released to critical acclaim.

Born and raised in West Hartford, CT, Nathaniel earned a double Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance and Audio Recording from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2009, and a Master of Music degree in Cello Performance from CIM in 2010. While still a student at CIM, Nathaniel served as a production intern at Telarc International, where he worked closely with GRAMMY award winning producers and engineers. He continued his education at the University of Minnesota studying cello performance.

Nathaniel’s cello teachers and mentors include Richard Aaron, Melissa Kraut, Michael Mermagen, and Tanya Remenikova. Nathaniel resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife Rosie Leavell (also a cellist), their dog Sunny, and two cats: Caly and Dot.