Joel Salvo
String Faculty
(763) 433-1628
Minneapolis - St. Paul-based cellist Joel Salvo maintains an active schedule as both a performer and educator that has included engagements across the United States and Canada. He has established himself as a cellist who is able to perform seamlessly within a wide range of styles from Baroque to contemporary, folk to hip-hop, acoustic to electric. In turn, Dr. Salvo is continually expanding his pedagogy to provide an organized pathway to stylistic-versatility for his cello students.
His performances have been broadcast over WCLV Cleveland Classical Radio and Minnesota Public Radio. Dr. Salvo has also been a concerto soloist with the St. Cloud Symphony and the Sioux City Symphony. As a recording-artist, he was principal cellist/soloist for a recording of James P. Johnson’s Jazz Operetta De Organizer for the Naxos Music label soon to be released and is in demand as a studio musician in the Twin Cities.
As a chamber musician, he has performed on the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music series, and been invited to perform at the Walker Contemporary Art Museum concert series for composer Mason Bates, and with Javanese Gamelan ensemble Sumunar. He has toured nationally with his flute, harp, and cello trio, Trio Matisse. Additionally, he has publicly performed chamber music with nationally acclaimed musicians including members of the Minnesota Orchestra, The Vancouver Philharmonic, the JACK quartet, the North Carolina Symphony, the Sydney Symphony, and A Prairie Home Companion house band.
Dr. Salvo has worked with famed- composers on public performances of their works including Bright Sheng, Oswaldo Golijov and Libby Larsen. Additionally, he has premiered works by Justin Merritt, Kirsten Broberg, Abbie Bethenis, Ayanna Woods, and Joko Sutrisno.
A devoted teacher, Dr. Salvo is on faculty at St. Cloud State University and Anoka-Ramsey Community College. Formerly, he was the head of strings at University of Minnesota, Morris and held a residency at the University of Wisconsin, Eau-Claire. Outside of higher education, he regularly hosts clinics for Minnesota high-school orchestras and has worked with some of the nation’s leading youth ensembles including the Detroit Civic Youth Orchestra, the Michigan Youth Symphony, and the Lakewood Project Youth Rock-Orchestra. He has published articles in regional string education journals, written a series of etudes focusing on extended techniques for his students, and currently is working on a comprehensive guide to learning "guitar-inspired" strumming on cello.
Dr. Salvo holds degrees from the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music, the University of Michigan, and a Doctorate from the University of Minnesota. His primary teachers include Regina Mushabac, Anthony Elliott, Richard Aaron, and Tanya Remenikova. As a graduate student he was one of only eight cellists from across the country to participate in an intensive study of contemporary solo repertoire and free improvisation titled Creative Dialogue III with international soloist Anssi Karttunen, and studied orchestral repertoire with Robert DeMaine, principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dr. Salvo spent his summers studying at Encore School for Strings and Aria International Music Academy with many leading cello pedagogues and performers including Orlando Cole (Curtis Institute), Stephen Geber (Cleveland Institute of Music), Emilio Colon (Indiana University), Jean Michel-Fontaneau (San Francisco Conservatory), Alison Wells (Peabody Conservatory) and Mihai Tetel (The Hartt School). https://www.joelsalvocellist.com/
