Yumi Kendall

Ms. Kendall joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in September 2004 as Assistant Principal Cellist upon graduation from the Curtis Institute of Music. She began studying cello at age five following the Suzuki approach; at age 16, while studying with David Hardy, Ms. Kendall made her solo debut at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra.
A proud Suzuki alumnus, Ms. Kendall founded The Suzuki Alumni Project (www.suzukialumniproject.org) in 2016, as a way for those who grew up with the Suzuki approach to celebrate Suzuki education and express gratitude to the movement’s teachers all over the globe for believing in their students’ potential, and that of all children.
In addition to orchestral, chamber, and solo performing and teaching, Ms. Kendall serves on the board of Astral Artists, a Philadelphia-based national organization whose mission is developing the careers of
prominent young classical musicians through mentorship and performance opportunities. In 2017, Ms. Kendall graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Masters of Applied Positive Psychology. Ms. Kendall’s interest in organizational psychology and development stems from her belief in classical music’s powerful role in human flourishing, and the importance of cultivating healthy organizations as pathways to serve the arts and public community.