Sylvia Rapp

About Sylvia Rapp

Studying the cello since age 12 and the piano since age 7. Currently studying under cellist MaryGrace Bender at the Covenant Conservatory. Past cello instructors have included Andie Smith and Robert Schumann.

Enrolled in the Myra Jackson Blair Pre-College program at Vanderbilt University since 2018. Currently the principal cellist of the Nashville (Curb) Youth Symphony Orchestra and performed alongside the Nashville Symphony at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, and Belmont University String Crossings. At these camps, studied with Natasha Farny, Jason Calloway, and Meghan Berindean. Named a 91 Classical Student Composer Fellow in 2021 and studied instrumental music under Christina Spinei.

One of eight students across the U.S. and Canada selected for the McDuffie Labor Day Festival at the Robert McDuffie Center for strings in 2023. Performed chamber music with the other participants and studied with cellist Sihao He and violist Lawrence Dutton.

Attended the 2023 and 2024 Tennessee Cello Workshop and performed in masterclass for Sydney Lee, Brooks Whitehouse, Wesley Baldwin, Susan Moses, and Sean Hawthorne.

Winner of the Governor’s School for the Arts Honors Competition, semi-finalist of the Jacqueline Advent Concerto Competition at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, participant in the Curb Concerto Competition, and participant in the Tennessee Cello Workshop Cello Competition.

HeartStrings

Community Outreach

I created the HeartStrings: Community Outreach program to share beautiful live classical music with those who wouldn't have access to such experiences otherwise- particularly retirement homes and nursing homes. The process for outreach is entirely self-directed. I reach out to the entertainment director of a local retirement or nursing home, arrange a date and time to visit, choose and prepare an appropriate selection of pieces, prepare composer trivia for further engagement, and arrive at the home to give the performance.

I often perform in collaboration with a pianist in my area. In these instances, I am to purchase all duets and deliver him his piano parts, arrange and host rehearsals, and give him the correct date, time, and location. We are sure to include a proper balance of well-known classical pieces and arrangements of timeless songs.

After I perform, I always stay behind to chat with the residents. They are always extremely kind, and they love hearing updates on my musical journey. I have spoken to a great deal of residents with musical backgrounds themselves, from guitarists to pianists to opera singers. I have often found that my music brings back old or even lost memories of past experiences. This is especially the case in nursing homes, and it is always so beautiful to see. I thoroughly enjoy brightening their day with lovely music on a wonderful instrument!

In the future, I plan to extend my outreach to a wider range of communities such as hospitals, hospices, veteran posts, libraries, daycares, and more. As I progress in my musical studies, I am excited to collaborate with even more musicians across a wider range of instruments!

I am a firm believer in the importance of orchestra programs in middle and high schools, as they provide a gateway to the strings world for students who would never have had exposure to a stringed instrument otherwise. As someone who discovered the cello through her own middle school orchestra, I have been concerned with the the school orchestra’s decrease in members and popularity in my area. I am therefore making it my mission to revitalize this wonderful program by visiting school orchestras to perform for and share my story with students. My hope is to encourage them to continue with their own musical journeys by showing them what they can accomplish.