Grand Rapids Symphony

Cellist Steven VanRavenswaay has been a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony since 1975. He grew up in Holland, MI and spent his summers at the Interlochen Center for the Arts where his father was a conductor and instructor from 1968 – 1976. Mr. VanRavenswaay first joined the Symphony while still attending High School. "I was the nerdy kid with the cello" growing up. "I carried my cello around a lot because I frequently had to leave right from school for a rehearsal." After attending the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland in 1977 where he studied with the late Stephen Kates, Steve auditioned for and was offered one of the newly created full time "Artist-In-Residence" positions with the Symphony, also becoming a member of the "Ars Nova" string quartet.

When the Dorian Quartet was formed in 1980, Steve became the only cellist the quartet ever had, playing some 22 years with the ensemble. Now a member of the unique ensemble "Beyond Classical", Steve continues to perform educational concerts for the school children of west Michigan, giving some 30 individual performances a year. Over the years Mr. VanRavenswaay has been honored with numerous awards including 1st prize in the Chicago Cello Society’s 1984 competition for young cellists. In 1985 Steve won the West Shore Symphony’s Young Artist Competition and performed Shostakovitch’s Concerto #1 with the Orchestra. The performance was such a success that the West Shore symphony included it on their anniversary highlight CD. "When I was younger I took auditions with other orchestras like Chicago and Milwaukee, but after a few years it became clear to me that Grand Rapids was where I wanted to be." Recently Mr. VanRavenswaay has begun expanding his creative outlets, performing with such artists as Natalie Cole, the Moody Blues, Yes, John Tesh, Linda Ronstadt, and The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (heavy metal Christmas music). Other recent activities include recording an album of Christmas music arranged for cello and a soon to be released CD of original light classical/new age/jazz compositions for cello and piano. Steve lives in Lowell with his wife Corrie (who is a long time member of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus), his son Jacob and daughter Amanda. His oldest daughter Jennifer lives in Grand Rapids and attends Grand Rapids Community College. Mr. VanRavenswaay’s cello was made in Nurnburg, Germany in 1755 by Leopold Widhalm.

Visit Steven VanRavenswaay's website: http://www.vancello.com