“Both [my father] and I have so many special memories of our time with GDYO, and it certainly fostered both of our continued love for music!”
Meredith McCook was born in Tyler, Texas, and joined the cello section of the Kansas City Symphony in 2015. Meredith’s grandparents, Daniel and Judith McCook, were founding parent members of GDYO while her father, Peter McCook, was one of the first GDYO cellists from 1972-1976. Before playing in Kansas City, Meredith played with the New World Symphony in Miami under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas for four years. She completed her Master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she studied with Alan Stepansky, and she received her Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas studying with Eugene Osadchy. Meredith has performed at numerous festivals including Spoleto, Artosphere, Thy (Denmark), Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, Canada’s Young Artists’ Programme, Kennedy Center, Domaine Forget, and Summit. She has been playing as Assistant Principal Cello with the Britt Summer Festival in Oregon since 2014. She has also studied with David Geber and Hans Jensen, and was a winner of the University of North Texas concerto competition, the Young Texas Artists competition, and Manhattan School of Music’s Fuchs chamber music competition. When not playing with the Kansas City Symphony, Meredith also enjoys teaching, playing chamber music, playing in her cello duo (“2CellosKC”) with Kansas City Symphony Associate Principal Cellist Susie Yang, and playing with her two dogs – a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and a Sheepadoodle.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY’S CONNECTION TO GDYO!
My dad Peter McCook grew up in the Dallas area, and his parents Daniel and Judith McCook were part of the group of parents who helped start GDYO in 1972! My grandparents had a deep appreciation for the arts in many different regards- my grandmother Judy was an accomplished modern dancer, and my grandfather Daniel sang with the Harvard Glee Club in college. I recently discovered that he was able to sing in a few concerts with the Boston Symphony with Leonard Bernstein conducting in the 1950s! The McCooks were also avid collectors of wonderful modern artwork. They saw that there was a need for a youth orchestra in the area, and it is amazing to see how the organization has grown over the years! My dad played cello with GDYO as one of the first members of the cello section from the years 1972-76 and he had many fond stories of playing concerts with his high school friends. His cello teacher Yves L’helgoual’ch was the first conductor of GDYO! He said that he was a very stern teacher, but also very kind and he learned quite a bit from him. My dad played cello through his college years, playing in orchestra and some bands at Principia College. He went on to have a successful career as a Petroleum Landman.
After meeting his future wife Debbie at college and getting married shortly thereafter, my parents settled down in Tyler, TX, where my 4 siblings and I grew up. My dad was the first to introduce me to the cello at a very early age, playing our favorite nursery rhymes and Beatles songs by ear, as well as some classical tunes. I started piano lessons at about age 5, and did not officially start playing the cello until age 11 in my middle school orchestra class (although I remember my dad giving me a few lessons at home prior to this). From the Beatles to Broadway musicals to listening to classical music on LPs, there was always music of some sort playing in the McCook household!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR MUSICAL JOURNEY AND YOUR TIME IN GDYO. HOW DID GDYO IMPACT YOU?
After playing in middle school orchestra and having lessons with my wonderful cello teacher Betty Raisig in Tyler for a few years, I remember a specific memory of seeing another hometown cellist, Ralph Kirshbaum, perform the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, and my mind was blown! I had never heard a cello played in such a beautiful way, and I also became obsessed with this concerto, listening to a bootleg recording of this performance almost every night for many months on end. You could say that I was hooked! I was able to audition and successfully be accepted to GDYO in 2002 during my sophomore year of high school. The weekly hour and 40 minute commute to Dallas from Tyler became a staple in my schedule for most of my high school years. I feel so grateful that my parents were so supportive and able to go with me to GDYO rehearsals, as well as lessons with my beloved teacher, Eugene Osadchy, on a weekly basis. This was certainly the highlight of my week! It was so cool for me to see so many other talented young students in GDYO who shared my passion for music, and to learn many of the staples of classical orchestra music for the first time. I loved getting to work with Richard Giangiulio as well, who was so patient and inspiring, and it was wonderful getting to perform in the Meyerson. I think I was the musician at that time who traveled the farthest for rehearsals, usually arriving home around 10:30pm every Sunday night, but it was worth it!
One of the highlights for me during my time with GDYO was a memorable 2004 European tour to Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany, and my dad was able to come along as a chaperone! It was my first time ever traveling to Europe, and it was amazing getting to perform in stunning venues such as the Prague Rudolfinum and Leipzig Gewandhaus.
Some other memorable concerts with GDYO were playing Mahler’s 4th Symphony for the first time, Dvorak 7 on tour, and a Saint-Saens Organ Symphony in the Meyerson that really rocked the whole building!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PATH AFTER GDYO. HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO PURSUE MUSIC PROFESSIONALLY? WHAT WAS YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE LIKE?
After GDYO, I attended Northwestern University for 2 years studying with Hans Jensen, and finished my undergraduate Music Performance degree at University of North Texas studying with Eugene Osadchy. Deciding to study music in college for me was an easy decision, because I really enjoyed playing and could not envision a life without cello! After finishing undergraduate, I moved to New York City for 2 years to complete a Masters degree at Manhattan School of Music studying with Alan Stepansky. It was really exciting to get a taste of big city life in New York, and I met many friends in school who I am still close with today.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR CAREER. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO PLAY IN THE KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY?
Midway thru my Masters degree at MSM, I started to think about ‘how I was going to make a career out of this.’ I auditioned and was accepted as a cello fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami, where I spent 4 years soaking up every bit of the experience. We performed weekly concerts under the nurturing mentorship of Michael Tilson Thomas and many other outstanding conductors along with some of the most exciting soloists. I feel grateful that I was able to have lessons and perform in masterclasses and chamber music with some of the highest caliber musicians in the world. While the beach was blocks away, I really hunkered down and was intensively, to put it plainly – practicing my butt off! I wasn’t as successful in some of my first professional orchestra auditions, but after some time, persistence paid off, something started to click, and I began advancing. I had just moved out of Miami (with all of my earthly possessions packed in my car) with the plans to move home to Tyler with mom and dad, but I thought I would take one last audition before the summer break- at the Kansas City Symphony. To my elated surprise, I was offered a job following this audition, and I started as a member of the cello section in 2015.
Having never been to Kansas City before taking the orchestra audition here, I feel so fortunate to play in the beautiful Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, which has some of the best acoustics in the world. We were able to go on a European tour in 2024 with our new Music Director Matthias Pintscher performing in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philharmonie, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, which has been a highlight of my time with the Symphony here. We are also fortunate to have another GDYO alumni, Jun Iwasaki, join the Kansas City Symphony as our Concertmaster in 2022. Kansas City is a really great place to live. Everybody is so friendly, and it has a small town feel, while still having everything you would want in a growing city.
WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER HOBBIES, LIFE GOALS, OR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS?
I enjoy teaching and playing chamber music in my time outside of work, and (according to my husband) I guess you could call me a Bravo tv network superfan. I also love food and trying out new restaurants, and as a result I’m also one of those weird people who really enjoys working out and staying active. 🙂 I also enjoy spending time with my husband Harrison who I met here in KC and taking care of my two dogs Lucy (sheepadoodle) and Penny (Chesapeake Retriever). My good friend from the Symphony Susie Yang and I started a cello duo in 2018 called “2CellosKC,” and we enjoy performing a range of genres from Bach to Lady Gaga. While I was in Miami with the New World Symphony, I was able to play in a master class for Yo-Yo Ma, which was a life highlight I will never forget! I feel so grateful to have pursued a career that has allowed me to travel to many different countries including Denmark, Japan, Italy, France, Colombia, and Germany, and to have a job in a great city with a fantastic orchestra!
ANY ADVICE FOR OUR ASPIRING YOUNG MUSICIANS?
Learn to be a good listener! Be a sponge and don’t be afraid to speak up and ask questions. Be kind and understanding towards one another. If you’re ever feeling down, remember what you have that you can be grateful for! Don’t be afraid to try out new things. The less you can focus on being “perfect” and the more you can try to enjoy the process of what you are doing, the better.
I would also like to just leave a short note that my Dad just passed away in February this year, and he was always so proud to have been a part of GDYO’s beginnings and to see its continued trajectory of growth. Both he and I have so many special memories of our time with the orchestra, and it certainly fostered both of our continued love for music!
THANK YOU MEREDITH FOR STEPPING INTO GDYO’S ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT, AND THANK YOU TO THE MCCOOK FAMILY FOR YOUR GDYO LEGACY!
IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SHARING THE ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT OR WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE GDYO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION,
CONTACT CHARILYNE ROJAS AT CHARILYNE@GDYO.ORG.
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