American cellist Joseph Kuipers is renowned for his creativity and versatility in his captivating performances on both modern and gut strings. Appearing at festivals and music centers around the globe, he has performed at the Ravinia Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Les Festival International du Domaine Forget, Kronberg Academy, Ascoli Pinceno Festival, Carl Orff Festival, and the World Cello Congress. Equally at home with modern and baroque performance styles, and often juxtaposing them in concert programs, Joseph is dedicated to the music of our time. He has worked extensively with living composers, among them Robert Cogan, Heinz Holliger, Helmut Lachenmann and Arvo Part: and has performed with the Ensemble für Neue Musik Basel, Neue Musik Ensemble Mannheim, Second Instrumental Unit, New York, and the Callithumpian Consort of Boston.

In 2010 Joseph founded the Marinus Project an international collective of chamber musicians dedicated to the tradition of classical music in our time. Marinus is the “Ensemble in Residence” at Washington and Lee University and Eastern University. In April, 2011 the Marinus Ensemble received a $200,000 unlimited artist development grant to further the Marinus Project.

Joseph completed his undergraduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where his primary teachers were Paul Katz for cello and Pozzi Escot for composition. In order to immerse himself in the European Music Tradition, he subsequently studied for six years in Germany and Switzerland. In 2008, Joseph received an Artist Diploma from the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim, Germany; where he studied with Michael Flaksman. Most recently he completed his Master of Musical Arts from the Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel, Switzerland, where he studied with Thomas Demenga. Other important influences came from Anner Bylsma, Rainer Faupel, Bernard Greenhouse, Mstislav Rostropovich and Hong Wang, and in chamber-music from Rainer Schmidt of the Hagen Quartet.

Teaching plays a large role in Joseph’s musical career. He has held positions at Washington and Lee University, Eastern University, Binningen School for Gifted Students in Switzerland, as well as numerous masterclasses at festivals worldwide, and maintains a private teaching studio of cellists in North Dallas, where he is based. His students regularly win prizes at Collin Country Concerto Competition, Dallas Symphonic Festival, MTNA, TMEA All-State & and All-Region, TPSMEA All-State &All-region and are members of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and Fort-Worth Youth Orchestra among others.

In 2020, he founded the Texas Cellos, a cello choir whose mission is to learn great music in the inspiring environment of a cello orchestra alongside professionals, gain performance and rehearsal experience- while sharing the beauty of… the CELLO! Texas Cellos is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

Joseph is Artistic Director of MUSIC@MILL Music Festival, great music in an old factory space.

He plays a cello from Francesco Gobetti, Venice ca 1710, a custom Tourte bow by Roger Zabinski, and baroque bow by Andrew Dipper.

Aside from his musical activities Joseph is a composer, painter, chess player, and avid fisherman. He can often be found in the great outdoors with his Australian Shepherd dog, Yelka, or riding his 1981 BMW R100 motorcycle.