“Joseph Kuipers is one of the rare musical voices of today: the fresh sincerity of his playing, combined with technical sovereignty over the instrument. He draws a dark, singing sound out of his( Gobetti) Cello, and creates lines that seem to float effortlessly.”

-Berliner Abend Post

American cellist Joseph Kuipers is renowned for his creativity and versatility in his captivating performances on both modern and gut strings. Appearing at festivals and music centers around the globe, he has performed at the Ravinia Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Les Festival International du Domaine Forget, Kronberg Academy, SXSW, Ascoli Pinceno Festival, Carl Orff Festival, and the World Cello Congress. Equally at home with modern and baroque performance styles, and often juxtaposing them in concert programs, Joseph is dedicated to the music of our time. He has worked extensively with living composers, among them Robert Cogan, Heinz Holliger, Helmut Lachenmann and Arvo Part.

Recent chamber music appearances include concerts with the Miró, Dover and Escher Quartets, violinists Chee-Yun Kim and Hye-Jin Kim, pianists Alex McDonald and Amy Yang and bandoneonist JP Jofre. 

In 2020 he founded the TEXAS CELLOS™ a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that gives back to the community by inspiring and cultivating excellence in youth through music education, ensemble building, and through performance opportunities.

‘Cellists are a unique bunch, with a shared love for sound, expression, and friendship in music making.’

Since their debut the Texas Cellos have received much attention from press and audiences alike performing works from the Beatles, Radiohead to the world premier performance of Rachmaninoff Vespers transcribed for cello choir.  

Joseph is the founder and creative director of MUSIC@MILL Music Festival™, “… great music in an old factory space”; TEXAS CELLO SCHOOL | an Int’l Institute™, “…a self-sufficient institute welcoming musicians to come and focus, create and grow”; and TEXAS CELLO GRAND PRIX INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2024, a high-level event open to cellists of all nationalities aged 16–30. (born 1994-2008) 

Teaching plays a large role in Joseph’s musical career. He has held positions at Washington and Lee University, Eastern University, Binningen School for Gifted Students in Switzerland, as well as numerous masterclasses at festivals worldwide, and maintains a private teaching studio of cellists in North Dallas, where he is based. His students regularly win prizes at Collin Country Concerto Competition, Dallas Symphonic Festival, MTNA, TMEA All-State & and All-Region, TPSMEA All-State &All-region and are members of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and Fort-Worth Youth Orchestra among others.

Joseph completed his undergraduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where his primary teachers were Paul Katz for cello and Pozzi Escot for composition. In order to immerse himself in the European Music Tradition, he subsequently studied for six years in Germany and Switzerland. In 2008, Joseph received an Artist Diploma from the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim, Germany; where he studied with Michael Flaksman. He completed his Master of Musical Arts from the Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel, Switzerland, where he studied with Thomas Demenga. Other important influences came from Anner Bylsma, Rainer Faupel, Bernard Greenhouse, Mstislav Rostropovich and Hong Wang, and in chamber-music from Rainer Schmidt of the Hagen Quartet.

He plays a cello from Francesco Gobetti, Venice ca 1710, a custom Tourte bow by Roger Zabinski, and baroque bow by Andrew Dipper.

Aside from his musical activities Joseph is a composer, painter, chess player, and avid fisherman. He can often be found in the great outdoors with his Australian Shepherd dogs, Yelka and Ronin.