Isaac Pastor-Chermak leads a diverse and active musical life at home in Northern California and around the United States. He is Principal Cellist of Portland Opera and Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony; Associate Principal Cellist of Stockton Symphony; and a member of Santa Barbara Symphony, Monterey Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, and Dayton Philharmonic. Beginning August 2018, he will conclude his summers at the Lake Tahoe Music Festival. Mr. Pastor-Chermak is the cellist of Black Cedar Trio, the only professional flute-cello-guitar ensemble in the country, and enjoys frequent sonata collaborations with pianists Miles Graber and Alison Lee.
Mr. Pastor-Chermak is in constant demand as a soloist and recital artist. In the first half of 2018 alone, he will perform a major duo recital with pianist Alison Lee, featuring works of Gershwin, Chopin, Beethoven and Prokofiev; C.P.E. Bach’s Cello Concerto in A minor with Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony; Eugen d’Albert’s Cello Concerto in C major with Oakland Civic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein’s Meditation No.3, also with Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony; two performances of the complete Bach Suites for Solo Cello; and a live-recorded concert with Black Cedar Trio. In September 2018, Mr. Pastor-Chermak will travel to Boston to perform on the world-premiere recording of Elliot Miles McKinley’s String Quartet No.8, with colleagues from around the country.
As an educator, Mr. Pastor-Chermak is Master Teaching Artist at Young Artists Conservatory of Music in Vacaville, CA, and a faculty member at Dominican Sisters School of Music in Fremont, CA. His cello students and chamber ensembles receive consistent high marks in regional competitions. He is founder and principal conductor of Solano Youth Chamber Orchestra, the first youth orchestra in the city of Vacaville. Mr. Pastor-Chermak holds degrees from the University of California, Berkeley (B.A. with honors) and San Francisco Conservatory of Music (M.M. with honors). He makes his home in the North Berkeley hills, but is at home wherever the music takes him.
Mr. Pastor-Chermak performs on an 1889 cello by Riccardo Antoniazzi; a 1982 violoncello piccolo by Antonius Garcius Rosius; and a contemporary bow by Ole Kanestrom. His instruments are maintained by Roland Feller Violin Makers of San Francisco, and his bows are maintained by Brianna Goldberg Bows of Pasadena.
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