Strings

Jocelyn Hartley

Acting Assistant Principal Cello

Jocelyn Hartley is delighted to be joining the Tucson Symphony as Assistant Principal Cellist for the 2026–2027 season! Originally hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Hartley made her solo debut with the Nashville Symphony at age fourteen. Since then, she has appeared as a soloist with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra and performed in ensembles in North America, Europe and Asia. A dedicated chamber musician, Hartley has performed chamber music at Tanglewood Music Center’s String Quartet Seminar, Harpa International Music Festival, and the Second Annual International Music by Women Festival. Hartley is passionate about performing chamber music by women and has programmed works by Zwilich, Shaw, Montgomery, Maconchy, Saariaho, and others. She has served as the principal cellist of the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra and the Oberlin Orchestra and as a substitute cellist in the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Her orchestra work has taken her to venues such as Carnegie Hall and Seoul Arts Center.

In May 2026, Hartley graduated with a Master of Music from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she held the Annette and Hugh Gragg Principal Chair in Cello scholarship. She had previously completed bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Cello Performance at Oberlin College and Conservatory. Her major musical mentors include Norman Fischer, Dmitry Kouzov, Amir Eldan, Felix Wang, and Sari Reist.

When away from the cello, Hartley enjoys fostering dogs for Pima Animal Care Center, propagating plants, knitting, and reading.