Calvin Armstrong

Calvin Armstrong is a cellist living in Chicago, IL. Originally from Colorado Springs, CO, he moved to Wisconsin to earn a bachelor’s degree in cello performance from Lawrence University. He has studied under John Eckstein, Nancy Snustad, Janet Anthony, and Horacio Contreras. Since moving to Chicago, he has played with the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra Peoria Symphony Orchestra, Southwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, and as assistant principal cellist in the Lakeview Orchestra.

Outside of the classical realm, Calvin enjoys playing and writing heavy metal with his band Shed, as well as making arrangements of video game music and popular songs for cello choir. Examples of his work can be found on instagram @calvinarmstrongmusic and at shedchicago.bandcamp.com.

In his teaching, Calvin emphasizes the crucial importance of learning by ear and parental involvement in the child’s learning process. He recognizes the value and importance of the standard classical cello repertoire, but also considers it important to foster and affirm students’ interests in various other types of music as well, so he includes non-classical material in his curricula on a regular basis.