Just before the turn of the century, when Rebecca Roudman was an undergrad at Cal State Hayward studying music, the cellist loved performing in the school orchestra, though she was also exploring styles far afield from the classical canon.
Over the next quarter century she did well by her alma mater, now known as Cal State University, East Bay, establishing herself as one of the most visible and versatile crossover cellists in the region. Roudman is best known as the frontwoman for Dirty Cello, a hard-working band that has honed a rollicking repertoire of rock anthems, bluegrass standards and Americana originals. Always looking to expand her creative purview, Roudman decided to return to CSUEB to pursue a master’s degree in jazz in 2021, and was dismayed to discover “there was no orchestra anymore and hadn’t been for a while,” she said. “This disappointed me. Every university should have an orchestra.”’
After finishing her degree, Roudman convinced the music department to let her relaunch the ensemble, but with some important differences. The Cal State East Bay Chamber Orchestra restarted in the winter of 2024 with 11 members, half students and half non-students, with an eclectic repertoire reflects Roudman’s wide-open musical vision.
Rebecca Roudman is spearheading the return of the Cal State East Bay Chamber Orchestra. (Courtesy of Rebecca Roudman)
From the first Wednesday night rehearsal, “it was a very promising start and also scary,” she said. “I wanted to create something that wasn’t your typical college orchestra, focusing on demanding classical music. I wanted it to be all about fun, so we’ve been playing video game music, rock, zydeco, and yes, some classical too.”
With weekly rehearsals beginning again after the summer break the Cal State East Bay Chamber Orchestra now numbers nearly three dozen, and it’s expanded beyond the usual instrumentation. Open to any adult at high-school-level proficiency, “We started with strings — violin, viola, cello, bass — but we’ve had people playing guitar, mandolin, lute and an occasional woodwind player,” Roudman said.
“You can join at any time. I will help get you up personally. We’ve had people join halfway through and it’s no problem.”
Even before the California State University system revealed a $2.3 billion budget shortfall last month, CSUEB started shedding longtime music faulty like saxophonist Dann Zinn. The success of Roudman’s chamber orchestra offers a faint silver lining in a deluge of bad news and potential further cuts to the school’s performing arts programs.
One particular challenge that Roudman has faced is reaching community members to let them know about the new ensemble. There’s no list serve or Facebook group for people who fondly remember performing with their high school orchestras.
Carryl Hsieh learned about the group from her cello teacher. The Pleasanton mom of two works in banking, and her musical background consisted mostly of five years of piano lessons as a kid. But when her daughter started fifth grade and picked out cello as her instrument in school, “I tried it and loved it,” she said.
She procured an instrument for herself and found an instructor, studying in parallel with her daughter, who’s still playing cello in middle school. “My younger daughter started fifth grade and I think she’s going to pick cello, too,” Hsieh said.
Hsieh joined the Cal State East Bay Chamber Orchestra in early 2024, and has thrived in the welcoming atmosphere. “What I really love about it is the variety of genres,” she said, noting she’s played rock songs, video game tunes and even a little music from Studio Ghibli films.
“Rebecca is known for being a crossover cellist,” Hsieh said. “She knows jazz and all different types of music. I’m not super experienced in the orchestra world, but she makes sure everyone feels welcome. You don’t feel pressure or anything. She’s definitely a people person, who makes the rehearsals really enjoyable.”
Conducting and directing an orchestra is just the latest hat for Roudman, who could teach a master class on the string-player hustle. Dirty Cello plays some 100 gigs a year, with local dates coming up at Heirloom East Bay in Castro Valley Sept. 16 and the Campbell Theater in Martinez Oct. 3- 4.
As for the Cal State East Bay Chamber Orchestra, the ensemble plans two concerts during the school year, with yet-to-be-scheduled dates in December 2025 and May 2026. The chamber orchestra meets every Wednesday from 7-8:50 p.m. in Music Building Room 1039, E Loop Rd., Hayward. Contact Rebecca Roudman at [email protected].
Roudman also leads the San Francisco Yiddish Combo, a group that infuses klezmer music with her love of other roots traditions. She brings a similar ignore-the-box mindset to CSUEB.
“It’s hard for teachers to break out of ‘this is how we’ve always done it,’” said Roudman, who has performed with Santa Rosa Symphony and Oakland Symphony. “The straight and narrow classical path is not a formula that works any more. String players need to be versatile if you want to make a living. I can give them my expertise.”
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