Cellist Esther Rothwell (formerly Seitz) was brought up in a musical home and fell in love with the cello at the age of eight. Based in Dallas, Texas, Esther holds a section cello position with the Dallas Opera Orchestra. Previously, she was a Rosemary and David Good Fellow with the Minnesota Orchestra. Throughout her orchestral career, she has performed with ensembles such as the Fort Worth Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra, the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra, among others.

A passionate chamber musician, Esther is a co-founder of Bowery Trio which was formed in 2019. Most recently, Bowery Trio has given guest artist recitals at the University of Arizona, Christ Church Aspen for their Music in the West End chamber series, and the historic Central Christian Church in San Antonio, Texas. The Trio has been awarded multiple grants to support their projects—supporting organizations include Chamber Music America, The Sibelius Fund, and Finlandia Foundation National. Apart from her Trio, Esther has performed as part of the Basically Beethoven Festival, the Minnesota Orchestra’s chamber concert series, newEar Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley’s Patron of the Arts concert series.

In addition to performance, Esther also enjoys a vibrant teaching career. She currently maintains a private studio in the Dallas area and serves as an adjunct cello faculty at Dallas College’s North Lake Campus. She was a teaching assistant to Julia Lichten at the Meadowmount School of Music in 2019 and since then has been invited to lecture, give masterclasses, and serve as faculty at institutions such as the International Cello Institute, BridgeMusik, Music Academy of Kansas City, and the Fred Fox School of Music at the University of Arizona.

Esther is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. Her major teachers include Julia Lichten, Michael Mermagen, Mark Gibbs, and Carter Enyeart.