Susan Babini was appointed principal cello of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra by Edo de Waart. She has been recognized for her “gorgeous sound and liquid sense of phrasing” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “achingly beautiful” Chopin sonata encore with Emanuel Ax (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) and “gorgeous, dark sound” (Milwaukee Shepherd Express).

Babini was formerly principal cellist with the New Century Chamber Orchestra and has performed as guest principal cello with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

In addition to her orchestral duties, Babini regularly performs as a soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed as soloist with New Century Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony in C, where she gave the East Coast premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’s Colored Field for cello and orchestra. She is also featured on Mr. Kernis’s album On Distant Shores. In addition, as an Astral Artist, she has been presented in solo recital by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

A passionate chamber musician, she has participated in both the Tanglewood and Yellow Barn music festivals, as well as four seasons at the Marlboro Music Festival, where she performed multiple national tours on the Musicians from Marlboro series. In Milwaukee, she has performed with Frankly Music, Milwaukee Musaik, and with the Philomusica String Quartet. She has also performed as guest cellist with the Cavani String Quartet on the Detroit Chamber Music Society series and at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Most recently, Babini has appeared multiple times on the Winterlude series at the Villa Terrace.

Babini enjoys teaching talented young students and has taught orchestral cello repertoire for the National Youth Orchestra and at Northwestern University. She has also spent summers teaching at the Brevard Music Festival, and has served as a guest artist at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, leading their cello intensive week in 2024. She has also taught master classes in chamber music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and chamber music performance at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. She frequently leads master classes at home and abroad.

The daughter of two cellists, Babini began her musical studies at the tender age of three. Babini holds a graduate diploma from The Juilliard School, and Bachelor and Master of Chamber Music degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Bonnie Hampton.

When she’s not playing the cello, Babini can be found either cultivating her garden or working in her kitchen trying to master the art of sourdough bread. She’s getting there.