DMSO at Home Live with Duo Ihana

Jesse Nummelin Cello

Jesse Nummelin is a native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He started Suzuki cello at age three with the Aber Suzuki Center for the Arts. Jesse went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in cello performance at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point and a Masters of Music at Arizona State, where he worked as Teaching Assistant to Professor Thomas Landschoot.

Jesse is an avid chamber musician and teacher. He is the assistant principal of Cello of the Des Moines Symphony, section Cello at Duluth Superior Symphony and South Dakota Symphony. He has played with orchestras including Phoenix Symphony, Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, Scottsdale Arts Orchestra, Musica Nova, Tucson Pops and the Tucson Symphony. He has played with the CWSO scholarship quartet, premiered several compositions with string quartet at the Museum of Musical Instruments in Phoenix, AZ and has performed on the UWSP radio broadcast “Acoustic Revival.” He also made a series of Jazz recordings through the Foulger Institute with acclaimed artists Allison Eldredge and Tom Landschoot.

Jesse has performed with notable artists including Lang Lang, Andrea Bocelli, Pinchas Zukerman, Anne Akiko Meyers, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Curtis Stigers, the Juilliard String Quartet and John Williams.

He has taught cello to people of all ages and backgrounds through various programs and private studios. He served as a faculty of cello at the Aber Suzuki Center for the Arts at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point in 2016. Jesse currently lives in St. Paul and teaches cello at the St. Paul Conservatory of Music, Mount Olivet School of Music, the Waldorf City of Lakes School and Music Connection in Forest Lake.

Jesse’s teachers include Thomas Landschoot, Tom Rosenberg, Dr. Lawrence Leviton, Dr. Tim Mutschlecner, John Greiner, and Susan Bender.

Rie Tanaka Piano

Native of Osaka, Japan, pianist Rie Tanaka is a prize winner of international and national competitions in Japan and the U.S. She won top prizes in West Central MTNA Young Artist Competition, Schubert Club Competition, Chautauqua International Piano Competition, Rosenstock International Piano Competition, to name a few.

Rie maintains a full concert schedule for solo and chamber performances. She has appeared in venues such as NHK Osaka hall, Phoenix hall in Osaka Japan, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts (MN), Thrasher Opera House (WI), Landmark Center (MN), among others. She is a performing artist of the Thursday Musical Concert Series, Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series, Hastings Arts Center Coffee Concert Series, and the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music Coffee Concert Series.

Rie attended the prestigious music special training school at Yuhigaoka High School in Osaka, Japan, which led to the musical tour in Vienna, Austria, performing in Wiener Musikverein. She received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point where she studied under a concert pianist Raffi Besalyan. She was a recipient of more than 15 scholarships and awards for her excellence in performance and academia. She received a Master’s and Doctor of Musical Art degrees in Piano Performance at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, studying under Alexander Braginsky and serving as a teaching assistant. Rie has a passion for educating musicians about performance injury and prevention. She is a RYT200 Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga teacher, and works with music teachers and students to promote healthy mind and body. In the past 4 years, she has led the original course, “Wellness for Musicians” at various summer festivals, including; Minnesota International Piano Camp, Saint Paul Chamber Music Institute, and Green Lake Chamber Music Camp. In her doctoral thesis, “Wellness for Musicians; Blueprint to Your Very Own Injury Prevention Course,” she introduces and explores injury preventative activities that can be taught by any music teachers. She has been featured as a guest lecturer at Universities and Music Teachers Associations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, and South Dakota.

Rie is a piano faculty at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, and Mount Olivet School of Music.