Cello Teacher – Lonnie Root

Lonnie Root

Biography

Lonnie  originally hails from Fairfield, Connecticut where he grew up studying cello with the likes of Daralyn Manring, Kenneth Kuo, and Peter Prosser from the Mannes School of Music in New York City.  Lonnie was immediately drawn to the natural beauty and cultural diversity of Charleston and felt equally about the College of Charleston where he received the Lightsey Cello Scholarship and began his undergraduate degree.

He became immediately active within the college where he moved up to co-principal of the orchestra and participated in their chamber groups, concerts, and various master classes with names such as Steven Doane, Paul Katz, Irene Sharp, Owen Carmen, and Robert deMaine under the master tutelage of his teachers Natalia Khoma and Damian Kremer. His work spread to the community as he began playing weddings, church services, and was given a seat with the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Orchestra under the great maestro Donald Portnoy. Lonnie finished out his last full semester of school playing to a sold out Sottile Theatre featuring the works of young composer / arranger Andrew Walker and Lee Marchbanks featuring their brainchild of Radiohead arrangements for a classical ensemble.

That same group, now called Entrope Ensemble, has played to high acclaim in Charleston and around the United States touring with the likes of Grammy nominee and Tony winner Duncan Sheik. Simultaniously, Lonnie began performing as an electric cellist with local folk-rock group Milhouse who toured the country playing with groups like Assembly of Dust, Mofro, The Clarks, Spin Doctros, NEEDTOBREATHE, and the Grammy Award winning Zac Brown Band.  He also performs classical and pop music on the cello with the Palmetto Strings, musicians that perform in Charleston for weddings and private events. As a Cello Teacher in Charleston, Lonnie’s passion is to share with his students the combination of traditional cello pedagogy and literature with the experience of using them in a new-age fashion with rock and popular music.  He currently the main cello teacher at East Cooper Music School in Mount Pleasant SC.