MaryAnn Slayton

My cello has been a part of me for 55 years! I began studying with Yolanda Hager, of Denver, when I was nine and participated in All City and All State orchestras, recitals and school orchestra programs throughout my high school years. Though I was urged to train in the Suzuki method and teach cello, there were other more urgent matters on my heart. So, I attended Wheaton College (Illinois) and earned a B.A. degree in Education. While there, I studied with David Szepessy and played with the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra.

Most of my adult years were spent raising five children, learning languages and teaching in Europe and Africa. But my cello came along and crossed paths with other musicians, local and ex-pat. I have had the honor to play in quartets, trios, duets and various other ensemble combinations, including community orchestras, through the years. I accepted a number of cello students as our traveling permitted.

It’s a new season. My husband and I are back on U.S. soil. Our children are raised. Now I turn my attention to nurturing the cellist within me, and helping others become fluent in the exquisite language of “cello”. Now, finally, I am following the urging of my first teacher to pursue teaching the cello with Suzuki as my tool.