Current playlist: Stevie Wonder, Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G Minor for Cello and Piano Op. 19, Earth, Wind and Fire, Kendrick Lamar, Ravel’s Piano Trio, Billy Joel, Al Green, Fleetwood Mac, Arctic Monkeys, and Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem.

Hobbies: Lifting weights, reading, cooking, antiquing, home DIY projects, hiking, spending time with friends and family, playing with my cat, exploring new cities.

Fun fact about Anita: I own a horse! I actually spent a lot of my life before college as a show jumping equestrian.

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More About Anita

A native of Chicago, Anita Graef began her cello studies at age four and made her concerto debut at age 12. She went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance, where she studied with Professor Anthony Elliott. This fall, she will begin pursuing a master’s degree at CCM, under the tutelage of CSO principal cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn. She is thrilled to appear with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as part of the CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship.

Previously, she has had the opportunity to work with cellists such as Stephen Geber, Johannes Moser and Felix Wang. Graef has studied with several members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, including Jonathan Pegis, Richard Hirschl and Brant Taylor. She has performed in several orchestras under the baton of maestros such as Leonard Slatkin, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, JoAnn Falletta and Keith Lockhart.

She recently participated in the 79th season of the Brevard Music Festival as principal cellist, as well as Credo Chamber Music Festival at Oberlin Conservatory. She is a proud member of the Juliani Ensemble, where she has collaborated with members of both the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera Orchestra, among others. She was recently awarded the Silver Prize with Distinction at the Young Classical Virtuosos of Tomorrow international competition.