Cellist Peter McCaffrey joins the ranks of the esteemed DSO cello section after most recently serving as Principal Cellist of the Louisville Orchestra.
McCaffrey was born in London, England and moved to the United States at the age of two. He then lived briefly in Connecticut and southern California, before his family permanently moved to Chicago, which he considers his home town. He is 31 and has one sister, Jen, who was an accomplished pianist in high school.
McCaffrey started playing the cello at the precocious age of 6, and his earliest teachers were Gilda Barston and Richard Hirschl. He received a Bachelor and Masters degree in music at the University of Southern California, where he studied with Eleanore Schoenfeld. Just two days after he graduated from USC, McCaffrey took and won an audition with the Louisville Orchestra, which he joined full-time shortly thereafter. He began as a section cellist in Louisville, and auditioned for and moved up to the Principal position during the 09/10 season. he gives special credit and thanks to his former colleagues in Louisville, who taught him what it means, and what it takes, to be a true professional.
Among hobbies, McCaffrey used to play electric cello in a rock band, and drove across the country with them “a couple of times, playing pretty much anywhere somebody would let us play!”
McCaffrey currently lives in downtown Detroit, and is greatly enjoying his experience in the DSO, finding it to be a very exciting and rewarding experience.