Carter Brey, who has served as Principal Cello of the New York Philharmonic since 1996, has announced that he will step down from the post at the end of the 2025/26 season, thus completing a three-decade tenure with the orchestra.
Brey will appear as soloist in Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto no. 1 for several performances later this season, alongside conductor Elim Chan. These include subscription concerts at David Geffen Hall (May 27-30), Concerts in the Parks (June 9-12), and at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival with conductor Stéphane Denève (July 29).
He first appeared solo with the ensemble in May 1997, playing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations in May 1997 under Kurt Masur, and by the opening of the 2025/26 season, he had given 79 solo performances.
Brey studied with Laurence Lesser and Stephen Kates at the Peabody Institute and Aldo Parisot at Yale University, after which he was appointed to the cello section of The Cleveland Orchestra. In 1981, he was a prizewinner in the Rostropovich International Cello Competition, and the next year he won the Young Concert Artists’ Michaels Award.
He has often appeared with the Tokyo and Emerson string quartets, at The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and at festivals including Spoleto, Santa Fe, and La Jolla.
“There is an adage among offshore sailors: if you’re thinking about reducing sail, it’s past time to do it,” Brey said. “So it is with regard to retirement: better early than late. The honor of holding a titled chair with my beloved hometown orchestra has been an extraordinary privilege, and I want to pass that privilege on to a new generation. I anticipate a joyous renewal of purpose and connection for them under the guidance of incoming Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel.”
“Carter Brey is a perfect example of everything that I love about the New York Philharmonic players — he is both a true musician and a deeply warm and caring human being,” said Gustavo Dudamel. “I wish him joy in his next chapter, and I know that the magnificent sound of his cello will always continue to resonate in our hall, and in our hearts.”