About Jeremy
Jeremy Crosmer is a remarkable young artist—both as a cellist and a composer. He completed multiple graduate degrees from the University of Michigan in cello, composition and theory pedagogy, and received his D.M.A. in 2012 at age 24. From 2012 to 2017 he served as the Assistant Principal cellist in the Grand Rapids Symphony, and joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in May of 2017.
Professional Orchestras
2017-present
2012-2017
2011-2012
2004-2007
Detroit Symphony Orchestra - Section Cello
Jader Bignamini, Music Director
Grand Rapids Symphony - Assistant Principal Cello
David Lockington, Music Director
Lansing Symphony Orchestra - Principal Cello
Timothy Muffitt, Music Director
Arkansas Symphony Orchestra - Section Cello
David Itkin, Music Director
Recordings
Education
2012
2011
2011
2009
2007
University of Michigan - Doctor of Musical Arts
Cello Performance - Richard Aaron, professor
University of Michigan - Master of Music
Composition - Paul Schoenfield, professor
University of Michigan - Certificate of Theory Pedagogy
University of Michigan - Master of Music
Cello Performance - Anthony Elliott, professor
Hendrix College - Bachelor of Arts
Music and Mathematics, summa cum laude
Teaching Highlights
Classes in music theory, precalculus, and cello at universities across Michigan, including GVSU, Oakland, EMU and UM.
Composition workshops, cello classes, and music clinics at high schools across Michigan, including Troy, EGR, GR Christian, Jenison, Skyline, and more.
Private cello instruction, including preparing orchestral excerpts, concertos for competitions, and technique-intensive study.
Summer camps for middle and high school students in Grand Rapids and Little Rock, including workshops in Audio/Video editing, theory and composition, and improvisation.
Awards
2021 - League of American Orchestras - Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service
2015 - ArtPrize - Classical Music Critic's Choice Award for "Mathias Alten Triptych"
2011 - The Presser Foundation - Theodore Presser Graduate Music Award
2007 - Hendrix College - Parker Mathematics Research Award
2004 - Stella Boyle Smith Young Artists Competition - Grand Prize
Community Work
Jeremy is committed to engaging with local community organizations in the Ann Arbor and Detroit metro areas. Here are some groups where Jeremy has fostered long term partnerships and collaborations:
Full Biography
Jeremy Crosmer is a remarkable young artist—both as a cellist and a composer. He completed multiple graduate degrees from the University of Michigan in cello, composition and theory pedagogy, and received his D.M.A. in 2012 at age 24. From 2012 to 2017 he served as the Assistant Principal cellist in the Grand Rapids Symphony, and joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in May of 2017.
​
Crosmer is a recipient of the 2021 Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service, presented by the League of American Orchestras, for his work piloting the DSO’s partnership with Kadima Mental Health Services. Additionally, he is the sole composer and arranger for the GRS’s Music for Health Initiative, which pairs symphonic musicians with music therapists to bring classical music to hospitals. In March of 2017 the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital launched a music channel that runs continuously, using four hours of meditative music composed by Crosmer and performed by musicians of the GRS.
​
Crosmer is a founding member of the modern music ensemble Latitude 49. He is also a current member of the band ESME—a duo that brings crossovers and mashups of pop and classical music to schools throughout Michigan. ESME released its first CD in December of 2016. Crosmer was also a part of the World Map project with the Four Corners Ensemble, recording Shuying Li’s cello concerto “Matilda’s Dream” in 2020. Crosmer was awarded the prestigious Theodore Presser Graduate Music Award in 2011 to publish, record and perform his Crosmer-Popper duets. The recording with Julie Albers and the sheet music are both available online.
Crosmer has been commissioned multiple times by both the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and GRS. His overture “Ozark Traveler” and his viola concerto Masks: a Heroine’s Tale have been performed around the country. In May of 2022 he performed his work “Threnody” for cello and string orchestra with the DSO. He has played DvoÅ™ák, Haydn, Boccherini, Elgar and Saint-Saëns cello concertos numerous times with orchestras across Michigan, and in April of 2023 he performed the American premiere of Fernande Decruck’s Cello Concerto, which was written in 1932.
​
In 2021, Crosmer created a database of free, digital editions of music by Classical Black Composers, arranged or transcribed for string quartet, with over 33 pieces available on his website. Crosmer has taught music theory, pre-calculus, and cello at universities across Michigan.