Esther Cook

Esther Cook

Esther Cook is a classically trained musician who enthusiastically experiences the simple joys of life and faith and desires to share that joy, hope, and wonder with every person she meets.

Fascinated by the myriad of possibilities for musical expression, Esther studied cello, piano, composition, and orchestral conducting in professional music conservatories in southern Spain for ten years. She moved to the United States in 2017 to complete a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with renowned cellist and teacher Amit Peled. Esther was inducted into the prestigious Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society in 2021.

As a cello teacher, she is trained in Amit Peled’s innovative cello technique method, having completed intensive studies with him at the Peabody Institute. This technique helps to improve sound quality, ease of musical expression, boost technical confidence, and avoid injury. Esther has seen great results not only with advanced students, but also with beginners and adults! She has also begun to adapt and integrate principles of the Peled method in her piano teaching philosophy. Convinced of the rich benefits obtained by studying a variety of musical subjects in addition to performance, such as music theory, sight-singing, full-score study, conducting, and more, Esther is currently developing an advanced music program for high school and college-aged classical musicians that combines the rigorous training she received in Europe with cutting-edge research into performance psychology and research.

Active in chamber music since she was nine years old, Esther has played in a wide variety of groups—string quartets, trios, and duos, piano trios, and various configurations of piano with wind instruments such as clarinet, flute, French horn, and Baroque recorders. Chamber music has always had a special place in Esther’s life, allowing her to form deep relationships with colleagues, communicate intimately with audiences, and explore beautiful masterworks from the Renaissance through 21st century. She is grateful to have been guided by many excellent teachers and coaches throughout the years, including Jesús Polonio Reberiego, Manuel Moreno Racero, Maria Lambros, Michael Kannen, and Seth Knopp.

Esther is an experienced orchestral musician, having served as principal cellist in a variety of both string and symphonic orchestras in Spain. While studying at Peabody, she expanded her experience playing in the pit orchestra for opera, in a studio orchestra playing alongside the projection of a silent movie and recording new compositions by emerging composers. Esther has worked with wonderful conductors, including María del Mar Muñoz Varo, Joseph Young, Shlomo Mintz, Edward Polochick, and the legendary Leon Fleisher.

When not teaching or performing, Esther enjoys learning new languages (German, Chinese, French, and Polish), spending time with friends and family, and serving in her local church.