Stephen Framil, internationally noted cellist, conductor, and teacher, has been acclaimed for his musicianship, technique, and emotive power. He has performed as a soloist and conductor in world famous venues such as Carnegie Weill and Avery-Fisher Halls, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and others in Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, China, Bangkok, Vietnam, India, and the Philippines.

A student of Janós Starker, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Helga Winold, and Rostislav Dubinsky, Framil holds an M.Mus. and a D.Mus. in cello performance from the Indiana University School of Music. He has received rave reviews from critics and excited audiences with performances in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the U.S.

Music critic Harris Goldsmith of the New York Concert Review said of his Carnegie Weill Hall debut in 2002, "Framil was very much a Starker disciple, bowing an aristocratic line and projecting a crystalline spot-on, pure intonation. I especially liked the plasticity occasionally introduced to temper the prevailing virtuosic brilliance with necessary repose. This afternoon installment was one to brighten a reviewer's heart."

Framil has taught at Andrews University, University of Delaware, Towson University in Maryland, and the University of Michigan. He has held Artist/Faculty positions (cellist and/or conductor) at numerous festivals in the U.S. and abroad and given many cello and chamber music classes at prestigious music schools worldwide.

Framil resides in Philadelphia, where he is Music Director and Conductor of the Camerata Philadelphia, an ensemble that brings a creative and fresh approach to the more traditional classics, but also seeks in its programming to be inclusive by including other genres of music, including jazz, folk, and world music. They accomplish these goals by creatively using orchestral, chamber, choral, opera, new music, and other resources.

Most recently, they toured for three weeks in China, from December 18, 2011, to January 9, 2012, under the leadership of Zvonimir Hacko. Concerts given during this pioneering effort in developing better relations between the U.S. and China were given in eight cities to capacity and enthusiastic audiences in every instance. A tour to Europe is planned for later in 2012.

Framil is a believer in inner-city music education. He serves as Director of the Philadelphia Conservatory and the Philadelphia Youth Ensemble, programs that provide lessons and orchestral experiences to under-served young persons.

Other activities include serving as Artistic Director of the Port City Music Festival in North Carolina, where Camerata Philadelphia is the Ensemble-in-Residence, and being a member of the Schubert String Club, based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.

Recordings by Framil include the complete J.S. Bach Suites for Solo Cello, as well as works for solo cello by Zoltán Kodály and Gaspar Cassadó. In 2003 he recorded the two Haydn Cello Concertos with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Paul Freeman conducting (Centaur Records).

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