Biography

Jennifer Culp, cellist, is a well-traveled California native, and has enjoyed a rich and diversified musical career. She has been professor of cello and chamber music at SFCM since 2007. Teaching and performing at 2 favorite summer festivals  Kneisel Hall and Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival aligned music with nature. As an avid chamber musician , Culp has performed with many inspired musicians including members of the Juilliard, Cleveland and Amadeus Quartets, Sandor Vegh, Walter Trampler, Laurence Lesser, Gil Kalish, Felix Galimir, Seymour Lipkin, Menahem Pressler, Dawn Upshaw, Irina Schnittke, Tom Waits and the Romanian Gypsy Band 'Taraf de Haidouks'. Always keenly interested in new music, Ms. Culp was the cellist of Kronos Quartet from 1998 to 2005 performing at such venues as Sydney Opera House, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, WOMAD festival in New Zealand, and London's Barbican Center. KQ was named Musical America's 2003 "Musicians of the Year" and won a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance of Berg's Lyric Suite in 2004. Through close collaboration with living composers, numerous world premieres have been recorded on Nonesuch, New Albion, CRI, Sony, Albany and New World Records.   Ms. Culp has also performed and toured with the following ensembles - Dunsmuir Piano Quartet, Philadelphia String Quartet, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. The haunted world of Cornwall, England was visited for 7 years to participate in the International Seminar at Prussia Cove for Open Chamber Music - Mentors Sandor Vegh  and Gyorgy Kurtag inspired non-stop music readings late into the night.