Chamber Music America Acquires CelloBello

CHAMBER MUSIC AMERICA ACQUIRES CELLOBELLO, ADVANCING A SHARED VISION FOR EDUCATION AND ACCESS

The organization, founded by renowned cellist and educator Paul Katz, begins a new chapter with Chamber Music America

October 21, 2025 – Today, Chamber Music America, the national network for small ensemble professionals, announced the acquisition of CelloBello, a nonprofit organization designed to nurture the cello and chamber music community through free and accessible music education resources. Founded by cellist Paul Katz in 2008, CelloBello has been a cornerstone in classical music education, offering student, amateur, and professional musicians access to the highest level of musical instruction, inspiration, and interaction. By acquiring CelloBello’s operations and asset library, CMA will build upon CelloBello’s rich foundation of pedagogical resources and, through its own infrastructure and education models, look to expand its mission beyond the virtual space.

“With programs serving classical ensembles, concert presenters, composers, educators, and students working in the chamber music tradition, Chamber Music America is a natural home for CelloBello, and I am thrilled to help carry the organization’s mission into the future,” says Kevin Kwan Loucks, CMA CEO. “Through his unwavering commitment to music education, Paul not only imparted his own philosophies through CelloBello’s vast library, but he also amassed teachings from the world’s finest artists and pedagogues. By entwining our organizations, CelloBello’s cello and chamber music library will be introduced to CMA’s constituency, and we can introduce CMA to CelloBello’s global following—all contributing to a stronger and more unified chamber music ecosystem.”

A founding member of the illustrious Cleveland Quartet, which was hailed internationally as the preeminent string quartet of its time (1969–1995), Katz continues to lead a distinguished career as a professor of cello at New England Conservatory as well as in countless premier conservatory and festival programs worldwide. His innovative teaching methods and mentorship have left an indelible mark on the world of classical music, with many of the string quartets he mentored achieving remarkable success, including the Ariel, Balourdet, Cavani, Jupiter, Kuss, Lafayette, Parker, Verona, and Ying Quartets, among many others. Katz was also a founding member of Chamber Music America, serving as its Board President from 1987 to 1993. Still active within CMA, he continues to steward its biannual Cleveland Quartet Award, which is given to exceptional young ensembles to aid in career sustainability.

Katz created CelloBello in 2008, and the website, which launched in 2010, has seen remarkable growth, logging more than 200 hours of video instruction and more than 1,500 blogs and articles featuring leading artists and educators, including violinists Arnold Steinhardt and Donald Weilerstein, and cellists Janos Starker, Alicia Weilerstein, and Yo-Yo Ma. In addition to lessons devoted to artistic, somatic, and technical improvement, the site also serves as an oral catalog of chamber music history, connecting various traditions and lineages.

The acquisition of a similar yet separate organization is a rare, if not unprecedented occurrence in the nonprofit landscape. The law firm Troutman Pepper Locke is leading the dissolution of CelloBello and CMA’s absorption of its assets. While CelloBello’s Board of Directors will dissolve, Katz will lead an advisory committee within CMA, joined by trusted advocates, previous Cleveland Quartet Award recipients, and former CelloBello Board Members to provide strategic guidance. CelloBello’s website will remain operable as is (at cellobello.org) for the rest of 2025 and 2026, with new content added monthly.

“I am confident that entrusting CelloBello’s future to Chamber Music America positions CelloBello for long-term impact, sustainability, and broader access for music educators and students worldwide,” says Paul Katz. “Kevin Kwan Loucks has served on CelloBello’s Board of Directors since 2023, and in that time, I have witnessed his vision for CMA take hold. I know that his leadership, coupled with his own artistic expertise, will allow CelloBello’s impact to flourish.”

To continue operations, CMA and CelloBello have launched a $1 million capital campaign to ensure the sustainability of CelloBello’s operations, from administrative staffing to the development of in-person programming. On November 12, longtime CelloBello supporters will join in an intimate celebration at Parsnip Restaurant & Lounge in Cambridge, MA, to toast CelloBello’s impact on the field and benefit its next chapter. The evening, chaired by major champions Nancy and Richard Lubin, will feature unforgettable solo and chamber ensemble performances from CelloBello’s Honorary Board President Yo-Yo Ma as well as the Balourdet Quartet and cellists from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Tax-deductible tickets for the CelloBello Legacy Gala can be purchased here.

Chamber Music America, the national network of ensemble music professionals, was founded in 1977 to develop, strengthen, and support the chamber music community. With a membership including musicians, ensembles, presenters, artists’ managers, educators, music businesses, and advocates of ensemble music, CMA welcomes members representing a wide range of musical styles and traditions. In addition to its funding programs, CMA provides its members with consulting services, access to instrument and other insurances, conferences, seminars, and its quarterly publication, Chamber Music magazine.

CelloBello is free, accessible to everyone, providing world-class lessons, masterclasses, interviews, and
interactive live-streamed chats with renowned artist-teachers from the solo, chamber music, orchestral, and
teaching professions. The mission of CelloBello is to nurture and strengthen the individual cellist and a global chamber music community through free online instruction and advice from renowned cellists, teachers, and chamber ensembles. We envision a world where all artists and enthusiasts have access to the highest level of musical instruction, inspiration, and interaction.