Performer Biography

Rebecca Shasberger

Praised for the “maturity and sensitivity” of her playing (Casa Magazine), Cleveland-based cellist Rebecca Shasberger is passionate about connecting with people from all walks of life. To this end she is pioneering a strings program in the Grafton prison and founding Renovare, a string quartet whose purpose is to bring hope and healing to those in need. These initiatives, amongst others, are Rebecca’s projects as Outreach Coordinator/Artist-in-Residence at Credo Music in Oberlin, Ohio.

Rebecca has presented solo performances and concerti with orchestras from California to New York, in Canada, China, and across Europe. While in Cleveland Rebecca performs in venues ranging from Severance Hall to hospitals to bars, not only as part of her work with Credo but also as a performer with Classical Revolution Cleveland and other groups, in an effort to share music with a wide range of audiences. Her chamber music performances have taken her across the United States and been broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In the orchestral realm she has appeared with the Canton Symphony, West Coast Symphony, West Coast Chamber Orchestra, the Lancaster Festival Orchestra, and as principal cellist with Cleveland’s Heights and Suburban Symphonies.

Rebecca completed her Masters in Cello Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) in the studio of Sharon Robinson and her Bachelors at Westmont College. Past summer festival appearances include Aspen, Banff, Credo, Toronto Summer Music, and the McGill International String Quartet Academy.