April Guthrie

A Kansas City native, April holds a Master's Degree in multi-focus cello performance from the California Institute of the Arts and a BA in cello performance and environmental studies at Illinois Wesleyan University. Her work directly with composers includes--Louis Andriessen ("La voce"), Muhal Richard Abrams, Antoine Bonnet, Jürg Frey, Vinny Golia, Eva-Maria Houben, Joan LaBarbara, Libby Larsen, Mario Lavista, Radu Malfatti, Stephen L. Mosko, Michael Pisaro, David Rosenboom, James Tenney, Wadada Leo Smith, Christian Wolff, and John Zorn. She has studied cello with Dr. Nina Gordon, Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, and Rohan de Saram.

In March of 2006 April performed in the North American premiere of Greek composer George Aperghis' "Sextuor: L'origine des espèces." In May of 2006, Ms. Guthrie organized a retrospective concert of the work of American composer Earle Brown with friends and colleagues of the late Mr. Brown performing. This concert--in collaboration with The Earle Brown Foundation--included a publication with writings by Michael Pisaro, Christian Wolff, Joan LaBarbara, Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, Dorothy Stone, Art Jarvinen and many others. Guthrie’s musical style is influenced by studies with the renowned Javanese composer Djoko Walujo WP--with whom she studies rebab and performs in the Kyai Dorodasih Gamelan on both cello and Javanese gamelan instruments.

She recently completed an artist's residency (with violist Cassia Streb of Guthrie & Streb, filmmaker Madison Brookshire, and sound artist Michael Pisaro) at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, California. The Hammer Museum's Artist Residency Program was initiated with funding from the Nimoy Foundation and is supported through a significant grant from the James Irvine Foundation. Her recent concerts include a tour with Moira Smiley & VOCO; Spiritualized; Seawolf; and with guitarist Miroslav Tadic and actor Rade Serbedzija.

As a private cello teacher she enjoys teaching all ages with a focus on technique, traditional repertoire, composition, and creativity. She recently began teaching actress Deanne Bray for the television show "Heroes." During this time with "Heroes" she also worked with composers Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman (Wendy & Lisa).

She currently plays on a 1923 Dante Baldoni (Buenos Aires) cello, and a Miguel Huipe (Paracho) bow (of the guitar luthier Huipe family).