Critical Acclaim

"I was very happy to make music with Aurelia Faidley in May, 2023, with the Elgar Cello Concerto. She is a fine young cellist who plays with great passion and music intensity and lyrical sensitivity that both match the work, and which also seem to come to her completely naturally. In short she plays both with considerable technical mastery, and straight from the heart."

- Mark Latham
Music Director, New Hampshire Symphony
Music Director, Wellesley Symphony Orchestra

"I grew up with the Casals Festival in Barcelona, heard Casals play - and Aurelia has that rare, rare gift, bringing a magical touch to Bach."

- Jama Wani

When {Aurelia} plays, I judge her to be a genius, and one of the few people who has ever moved me in my life.  This girl has what you might say is… star quality.  She has a poetry…. She exposes her inner most feelings with every stroke of the bow.  Every note means something.  She convinced me this is the only way to play Rococo Variations.  She is totally convincing, committed, and virtuosic.  She’s phenomenal.”  

- Dickran Atamian, 2024

"Young Artist Performances" had the pleasure of hosting the exceptionally talented 13-year-old cellist, Aurelia Faidley, for two remarkable recitals this year. She displayed remarkable skill with precise articulations and an exquisite range of tone colors. What truly impressed us was her ability to interpret the music with the depth and maturity of an artist well beyond her years.

- Joe Gimbel

"Aurelia's fearless performance of the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations with our Sound Symphony was both deeply musical and impeccably played. She projects so many varieties of sound and emotion from her instrument! She is a gifted soloist with the heart and spirit of a musical collaborator. It was a great pleasure to prepare and perform the piece with her."

- Dorothy Savitch
Music Director, Sound Symphony
Music Director, Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra

"Aurelia Faidley, 13, appears to have been born to perform. I am biased toward duPre’s original recording of this masterclass, but Aurelia made me tilt my head. Her communication with the conductor, concertmaster, and the entire cello section was very impressive and showed maturity beyond her years. This young cellist knew the orchestral part inside and out and was able to fully immerse herself inside the Elgar Cello Concerto. Her sound was powerful and each color and emotion was very easily conveyed to her audience. Watching Aurelia perform was like taking an emotional journey through Elgar’s imagination."

- Times Bulletin (June 20, 2023)

“She’s a wonderfully gifted 12-year-old with remarkable technique and a musical understanding beyond her years.  If you wonder how such a young performer might fare in the Elgar Cello Concerto, Faidley puts on her Jacqueline du Pré cap for a passionately felt introduction”.

- Huntley Dent,
New York Classical Review