Cellist Jeffrey Noel Lastrapes is a soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, and teacher. He has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. As an orchestral soloist, he has appeared with the Monroe Symphony Orchestra, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Midland-Odessa Symphony, the Ibex Chamber Orchestra of New York, the Lower Marion Symphony of Philadelphia, the Festival Orchestra in Vina del Mar, Chile, the National Philharmonic of Honduras, and numerous others. Appearances at festivals include the Evian Festival in France, the Bellingham Festival, Sevenars Festival, the OK Mozart Festival, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Peninsula Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, and twice at the Gregor Piatigorsky Seminar at the University of Southern California.

In April of 2009, Mr. Lastrapes made his critically acclaimed New York debut at Merkin Concert Hall.

"An excellent cellist with consummate technical mastery, Lastrapes is a seasoned performer whose strong, outgoing personality lets him shape the music on a big canvas with bold colors and contours. His pacing is balanced, his phrasing elegant; with spontaneous, personal expressiveness, he draws the audience in from first note to last."

- Edith Eisler New York Concert Review

Prof. Lastrapes earned his Bachelor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied under Orlando Cole. He also holds a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School where he studied under Harvey Shapiro. He has had master classes with such cellists as Mstislav Rostropovich, Paul Tortelier, Joel Krosnik, Yo Yo Ma, and Lynn Harrell. In 1991, he represented the United States in the International Competition for Violoncello in Chile and won two of the four major prizes. He is also the recipient of the Lighthouse Award for Outstanding Achievement (NY) and the Texas Tech Alumni Association's New Faculty Award.

Mr. Lastrapes has also performed frequently on radio and television including broadcasts over Radio France, WFMT – Chicago, National Public Radio, National Television and Radio of Chile, and three live recitals on WFLN of Philadelphia. He has recorded for New World Records and West Virginia University Press. His recording of sonatas by Rachmaninoff and Chopin was released in March of 2012 and his recording of duos by Ravel and Kodaly was released in 2015, both on Centaur Records.

Recently, Mr. Lastrapes was awarded a 20-year certificate and pin from the Interlochen Center for the Arts for 20 years of teaching at the center. Also, his edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's Suites for Solo Cello was published by BCMP as the culmination of thirty years of study and organization, completed during his development leave.

Teaching has been an important and substantial part of Mr. Lastrapes' career. He is a former faculty member of Oklahoma State University and the Collegiate School (NY). He has served on the Cello and Chamber music faculty of the Interlochen Center for the Arts since 1996 and is on the faculty of the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts. Currently, Mr. Lastrapes is Associate Professor of Cello and Chair of Strings at the Texas Tech University School of Music in Lubbock, Texas.

Mr. Lastrapes performs on a Francesco Ruggieri cello dated 1684 and a Paul Schuback cello dated 1987.

For the more information, please see Professor Jeffrey Noel Lastrapes' webiste: Jeffrey Noel Lastrapes, Cello