Emily S. Graff-Uhlman

Cellist Emily Uhlman grew up in Eugene, Oregon and began studying the cello and piano at a very early age. She was an active participant in the local Suzuki program as well as a member of the Eugene Youth Symphony organization. She spent many summers attending music camps and festivals such as the University of Oregon Suzuki Strings Camp, Britt Festival, Sequoia Chamber Music Workshop, Encore School for Strings, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, and Opera in the Ozarks.

Before being accepted into music school, she was fortunate to have studied privately with many great teachers such as Dale Bradley, Emilie Grondin, David Straka, Hamilton Cheifitz, Andre Emilionoff, and Richard Aaron.

In 1999, she received her Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where she studied under Pamela Frame and Steven Doane.

Soon after moving to Reno, NV in 2001 with future husband Jay Uhlman, Emily became very active in the music community. It was here that she began teaching cello more formally, was accepted into the graduate string quartet program at UNR and was invited to play with all of the Reno area orchestras.

In 2004, Emily received her Master of Music degree in cello performance with an emphasis in orchestral career studies from the University of Nevada, Reno under the tutelage of John Lenz and Phillip Ruder. During her studies, she was the graduate assistant and cellist in the Nightingale Graduate String Quartet.

Emily was a contracted cellist with the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, and performed regularly with the Nevada Opera, Lake Tahoe Music Festival, and the Jeff Leep Orchestra. She has also performed with the Reno Chamber Orchestra, various chamber ensembles and the Susanville Symphony.

During her time in Reno, she maintained a private cello studio where she taught 33 students ranging in age from 3 to adult. She was also the group class cello teacher and director for “Codacelli”, the advanced cello choir, for the Suzuki Music Association of Reno/Tahoe.

In 2009, Emily and her family returned to her hometown of Eugene, OR where she rebuilt her studio and performed locally with the Mozart Players, Orchestra Next, and the Corvallis Symphony. She served as cello summer instructor for the Northwest Suzuki Institute in 2009 and 2018.

In August of 2019, her husband’s job relocated their family to New Orleans, LA. Emily looks forward to becoming part of the Nola music community and rebuilding her studio.