New Jersey-based cellist Amy Ward Butler counts herself very fortunate to have studied with Orlando Cole in Philadelphia, and Steven Doane and Paul Katz at the Eastman School of Music. She spent four summers at Tanglewood where she had the opportunity to play for Joel Krosnick of the Juilliard Quartet and Yo-yo Ma in a variety of master classes, including a rare chance to perform “Schelomo” with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. Conductors she performed under included Kurt Masur, Seiji Ozawa and Leonard Bernstein. Ms. Butler has been a member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and has performed in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Harrisburg Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra at Lincoln Center.

In addition to being newly appointed as Principal Cello of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Butler holds positions as principal cellist with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and the Reading Symphony Orchestra, is a founding member of the Tapestry Cello Ensemble and the cellist for the Paper Mill Theater in New Jersey.

With the Tapestry Ensemble, Ms. Butler is grateful to get to share her multi-layered cello ensemble arrangements and original compositions as the group tours throughout the east coast.

Amy lives with her family, her golden retrievers, and more cats than expected. She plays on a Raffaele and Antonio Gagliano cello made in Napoli in the early 1800’s.