violin + viola
photo by Olivia Slaughter
Cecille began studying violin at the age of 5 with her mother. Both of her parents are professional musicians, and some of her earliest childhood memories are of listening to them practice or teach lessons in the house. By the time she was in middle school, she was putting in many hours a day towards her strings practice, sometimes practicing orchestral excerpts in a vacant classroom while waiting for her middle school team sports practices to start. It was at this same time she was learning that her grandfather had spent time as a professional violist, and the instrument peaked her interest. She was in multiple orchestras to test each instrument, and eventually decided to spend her high school time investing in learning more about and focusing on viola. She spent three years as principal viola of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School’s Grammy Gold-winning Symphony Orchestra. She also played for six years in Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra starting on violin and eventually on viola under the baton of her father.
During these years, ​her family would play chamber music together regularly. Repertoire that showed up regularly in their rotation was Mozart's Divertimento, Schubert Cello Quintet, lots of Haydn, and much more. Several of them toured twice to Kodiak, Alaska performing among other things the complete Barber and Ravel String Quartets. They concluded their time as a featured performing ensemble with a presentation at Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor as she and her sisters began heading for university. Cecille auditioned and performed as a soloist as part of her high school orchestra's tradition of sending off seniors at the end of their tenure.
She set aside strings for several years to pursue voice studies at Western Michigan University, but she wanted to stay connected to her stringed instruments somehow. She began playing on her classmates' student recitals on both violin and viola, and joined a non-major orchestra in her final semester in 2011. She also began gigging again during that time, and played on a number of Michigan tour shows with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra as pit orchestra member from 2010-2012. She was hired to play strings on several projects by University of Michigan composition students, and she was a guest artist on viola with the Chelsea Chamber Players from 2012-2013. She eventually also decided to invest in an electric violin and begin exploring the world of electronic strings.​
Cecille currently lives in Portland, Oregon. Working in multiple styles and genres is at the core of her musical interests. It began with an interest in Irish fiddling stemming back to her childhood, extending to studing jazz in college, and a larger love of the vastness and diversity of pop styles and folk music. In the summer of 2022, Cecille took her violin to New England Conservatory in Boston, MA to take part in Silkroad Ensemble's Global Musician Workshop to expand her knowledge of music cultures across the globe, and collaborate with and learn from musicians from nearly every continent. Locally she is sought to add strings to various projects such as theater productions, galas, and recording sessions. She has played for Renegade Opera, Alberta House, North Pole Studios, CoHo Productions, Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, and many local artists.​​​​​
