Charles Rasmussen

Charlie Rasmussen strives to help his students develop a lifelong passion for music and cello playing. Mr. Rasmussen’s students have placed in concerto competitions and have gone on to play cello at the collegiate level. A strong believer in the Suzuki Philosophy, he works with students of all ages and levels.

Mr. Rasmussen is currently a cello faculty member and string department co-chair at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee. He was previously on faculty at the Talent Education Suzuki School in Norwalk, CT. 

A historical performance specialist, Mr. Rasmussen also teaches Baroque cello and viola da gamba.

Mr. Rasmussen performs historical cello and viola da gamba with the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble and New Milwaukee Consort. He is the Instrumental Co-Director at Just Bach and on the board of directors for Early Music Now. Mr. Rasmussen has recorded Tommaso Giordani’s Cello Duos (Centaur Records, 2020) and 11 Capricci by Joseph Dall’Abaco (Centaur Records, 2018). 

Mr. Rasmussen has previously appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Series with the New York Continuo Collective, the VdGSA Gamba Gamut and with Sonata à Quattro. He has also performed as principal cellist with Madison Bach Musicians and in multiple early music recitals at the Yale University Institute of Sacred Music. He has also appeared with ViolMedium for an Early Music Now performance and in Milwaukee Opera Theatre’s production of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo.

Mr. Rasmussen has served on faculty at the Madison Early Music Festival and presented historical performance lecture recitals and masterclasses around the country. He currently teaches viol and consort music at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Mr. Rasmussen holds a Master of Music degree in cello performance and a a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in music theory from from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Mr. Rasmussen also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Luther College (Decorah, IA). Mr. Rasmussen studied the Suzuki Method with Carol Tarr at the University of Denver.

When not teaching or performing, Mr. Rasmussen enjoys spending time with his family, kayaking, gardening, golfing, and cooking. He builds radio controlled sailing ships and is a member of the Wisconsin Scale Boating Association.