Chelsea Banks & Friends – September 25, 2025

A Recital Over a Decade in the Making!
I’m thrilled to invite you to a very special evening celebrating my journey with cello!

Radke Fine Arts Theater (UCO Campus, directions below)
100 N. University Drive Edmond, Oklahoma 73034

Thursday, September 25
Doors: 6:30pm
Show: 7:00pm

Program

Sonata for two cellos in G minor OP. 2 No. 8, George Frideric Handel
Asa for Solo Cello commissioned by Tess Remy-Schumacher, Kitt Wakeley
Heidelberg Variations, Stijn Kuppens
Thistle and Lace, Kaitlyn Raitz
September, Daniel Delaney

Artists Performing

Chelsea Banks is a freelance cellist based in Oklahoma City. Chelsea’s approach with music right now is to modernize and expand the strings experience in Oklahoma City, both for the musician and the public. Raised on red dirt, classic rock, and musical soundtracks, Chelsea grew up with music as a way to connect with others. Chelsea began formal training on piano at age 7 and started playing the cello at 11. Cello became her instrument of choice. Chelsea performs original compositions, contemporary works, and classical masterpieces as a soloist and with chamber ensembles.

As a strategist and designer, Chelsea has worked with small businesses and civic organizations to maximize impact while maintaining people-focused environments. Chelsea believes that our greatest resource is in our people, and through this lens has developed training materials, organizational systems and processes, and branding that stand the tests of time and turnover.

A fierce advocate for her community, Chelsea serves on the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board, the Vision Zero Advisory Board, the Asian District Cultural Association Advisory Board, and is a founding member of the Friends of Uptown Foundation. Chelsea played a pivotal role in establishing the Uptown 23rd Business Improvement District.

Chelsea champions ethical and regenerative practices, transparent communication, and maximizing capacity while minimizing waste. Chelsea is passionate about elevating her community through artistic expression, grassroots leadership, and support of the local economy.

Dr. Tess Remy-Schumacher is a featured Solo Artist on Kitt Wakeley’s 2023 GRAMMY® winning CD “An Adoption Story.” She won 1st Prize at the International Carlo-Zecchi Competition in Rome, multiple Silver and Bronze Medals at the Global Music Awards, Grand Prize of the 2022 Akademia Music Award and 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee, Best Instrumentalist of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 InterContinental Music Awards, and the CL Shaddock Award of 2023 Mississippi Music Awards. She was a 2022 Native American Music Awards nominee, a 2023 and 2024 Jose Music Awards nominee, and is a Featured Artist on Kristen Copley’s 2023 GRAMMY® nominated CD “Aquamarine.” Her most recent Album “Remembrance and Renewal” just received the World Entertainment Award for “Best Classical Album” 2025.

As a concert soloist, she performed in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the U.S., including Wigmore Hall in London, Jubilee Hall in Singapore, Bradley Hall in Chicago, the Grammy Museum, Los Angeles, and multiple times Carnegie Recital Hall in New York, and the Wiener Musikverein and Mozart Haus. 

Among her 20+ albums are premiere recordings of David Maslanka’s Cello Concerto “Remember Me” and Carter Pann’s Cello Concerto “High Songs” both with UCO Wind Symphony under the conductor Dr. Brian Lamb.

Dr. Remy earned her DMA and MM from the University of Southern California and her Artist Diploma (terminal degree) from the Musikhochschule Koeln, Germany. She studied with Boris Pergamenschikow, Eleonore Schoenfeld, Lynn Harrell, and Jacqueline du Pre.

Tess was a Visiting Scholar and Performance Fellow at Harvard University 2010-2012. Previously, she was tenured faculty at James Cook University, Australia. Currently, she is Professor for Cello and cofounder of the Brisch Center for Historical Performance at UCO.
 https://www3.uco.edu/centraldirectory/profiles/5999  

Dr. Margaret Brisch completed a B.S. in Music as a piano major at Park College, Kansas City MO. Since that time she has earned a Masters in Elementary Education from the University of Kansas and a Doctorate in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska. After retiring from teaching elementary school in 2001, she has taught piano to many beginning students, accompanied middle and high school students at contests and has performed with chamber groups at UCO.

Minghua Lu is a cellist and music performer specializing in cello performance. She is pursuing a Master’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma under the guidance of Dr. Tess Remy-Schumacher.

A seasoned orchestral musician, Minghua is the current Principal Cellist of the University of Central Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra. Her professional experience includes a tenure with the Shenyang Symphony Orchestra and a previous role as Principal Cellist at Northeastern University.

Cheyenne McCoy is an artist and educator based in Oklahoma City. She moved here from Fayetteville, Arkansas in 2017 to study cello performance at Oklahoma City University.

Her primary interest is in reconstructing history. Studying historically-informed performance practice, she plays viola da gamba and baroque cello for the Oklahoma Baroque Orchestra. She also makes 16th century garments using historical sewing techniques.

In addition, Cheyenne plays electric bass and tours with local bands stepmom, Speak Memory, and The Blackstar Experience. Her experimental solo project Abbess incorporates gamba, electronics, and medieval vocal works. 

One of her greatest joys is collaborating with other artists, and has collaborated on installation work at Positive Space Tulsa and Factory Obscura in OKC. 

As an educator, she teaches orchestral strings and rock band at El Sistema Oklahoma, a free music program for public school students in grades 3 through 12.

Directions to the Venue

Radke Fine Arts Theatre inside the Center for Transformative Learning
UCO Campus, 100 N. University Drive Edmond, Oklahoma 73034

• From East 2nd Street, head North on S Baumann Ave.
• Turn Left at the second stop sign, to E Hurd St.
• Parking is available to the south (on the left)
• Enter the Center for Transformative Learning from the South doors, Radke Fine Arts Theatre is immediately inside the building from this entrance.