Saul Richmond-Rakerd, cello

Saul Richmond-Rakerd is a San Francisco-based cellist. He began his cello studies at the age of 9 in his hometown of Okemos, Michigan, and continued to study it alongside piano until he concluded high school. He went on to college at Brown University, where he completed a dual major, with Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Physics and Anthropology. Cello remained a passion for him throughout his university years, however, and he continued to play as principal of the Brown University Orchestra, as a soloist, and with several chamber music groups during his time there. After graduating from Brown, Saul decided to immerse himself in music full-time, and so, after attending the Castleton Music Festival in 2013, he moved to Florence, Italy to pursue a Biennio di Violoncello, and to play professionally as principal cellist of the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana. He moved to San Francisco in January 2015 in order to begin a Master of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory under the tutelage of Jennifer Culp – a degree that he completed in December 2016.

Throughout his career, Saul has enjoyed playing in a wide range of settings. He has played as a soloist with the Okemos Symphony Orchestra and the Brown University Orchestra, as well as in numerous recitals, both in the US and abroad. He was also a finalist of the San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition in 2016. Other musical awards he has received include First Prize at the Barbara Fritz Chamber Music Award (2016), First Prize at the Luigi Boccherini Chamber Music Competition in Lucca, Italy (2016), Second Prize at the Dorothy Van Waynen Competition for Strings (2016), Primo Arco Premio (2014), Weston Prize for the Arts (2013), and the Buxtehude Premium Prize in Music (2012). He has been a member of many chamber groups, traditional and non, and was a founding member of both the Capitoline Trio and Quattro alla Volta, a cello quartet with whom he performed during his time in Italy. He greatly enjoys playing in symphonic settings as well, and has played with many different orchestras throughout his career in music. He currently serves as assistant principal cellist in the Santa Cruz Symphony and as a section cellist with the Monterey Symphony, and is a regular substitute with many other orchestras throughout the Bay Area.