RUBY BRALLIER
Historical Cello & Viola da Gamba
COLLABORATOR
Originally from Seattle, Washington, Ruby Brallier settled in Sydney in 2023 and is thrilled to join Australia's vibrant early music community. Recent engagements as a soloist and chamber musician include Capitol Early Music (Washington, D.C.), Les Délices (Cleveland), the Taylor Johnson Early Music Series at Michigan State University, University of Notre Dame, Oberlin Conservatory, Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies, and Cranbrook Music Guild's Chamber Artist Series. Ruby holds degrees in cello and viola da gamba from Oberlin Conservatory, University of Michigan, and Lawrence University.
Ruby plays an 18th-century Klotz school cello and a bass viol after Hendrik Jacobs by Canadian luthier Francis Beaulieu.
TEACHER
Prior to relocating to Sydney, Ruby served as cello faculty at Oberlin Conservatory of Music's Community Music School in the United States, where she taught private lessons, group classes, coached chamber music, and led the Early Childhood program. She is a teaching member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
COMMUNITY-BUILDER
Ruby strongly believes that the act of music-making and sharing provides a unique opportunity to build community. Ruby has also devoted herself to expanding access and education on historical instruments to youth musicians in Northeast Ohio. She frequently presents in public schools and community arts programs, and in 2019 she was awarded an Outreach Grant by the Viola da Gamba Society of America.
Alongside her educational outreach, Ruby helped pilot Oberlin Center for the Arts' Performing Artists in Residence program, which connects students from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with partnering institutions Mercy Allen Hospital and Welcome Nursing Home. Her viola da gamba can often be heard in lobbies and along bedsides, where she has formed close personal connections with residents and staff.
