Underrepresented Composers

Here is a catalog of pieces of Western Classical Music written or arranged for cello solo or cello and piano by underrepresented composers. They are part of historically excluded and currently underrepresented groups, which includes but is not limited to composers who are Black, Latin American, Asian, and/or have gender identities other than cisgender male.

This catalog is curated only with music that is accessible to cello learners, so this list does not include music that is too challenging for most amateur cellists. If you are interested in more exhaustive catalogs consider these resources for pieces by Black composers, Latin American composers, and composers who identify as women.

The catalog is split into two tables, the first with pieces for cello solo and the second with pieces for cello and piano. The pitch and rhythms levels match those found in the Western Classical Music for Cellists method books. The specific rubrics can be found here.

I update these lists regularly as I continue my research, so if you know of any pieces by underrepresented composers you think could be included, please email me at samscellostudio@gmail.com. If you find this list helpful, consider supporting me on Patreon.

Cello Solo

Level rubrics can be found here.

Composer	Pronouns	Nationality	Title	Pitch Level	Rhythm Level
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Minuet from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio video	Int. 1	Beg. 2
Elaine Fine	she/her	American	Foreign Lands from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music audio	Int. 3	Int. 1
Elaine Fine	she/her	American	Foreign Lands from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music audio	Int. 3	Int. 1
Wendy Michels	she/her	American	Carefree sheet music and audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Alejandro Díaz Giraldo	he/him	Colombian	Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 39 sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Elaine Fine	she/her	American	My Bed is a Boat from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 2
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	Gbo Ohun Awon Angeli (Hear the Voices of Angels) from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music video	Adv.	Int. 2
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	Ise Oluwa (The Work of the Lord) from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music video	Adv.	Int. 2
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	The Village Dance from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music video	Adv.	Int. 2
José Elizondo	he/him	Mexican- American	Baroque Dances sheet music and audio	Adv.	Int. 2
José Elizondo	he/him	Mexican- American	La Alborada de la Esperanza (The Dawn of Hope) sheet music, audio, and video	Adv.	Int. 2
José Elizondo	he/him	Mexican- American	Princesa de Hadas (Fairy Tale Princess) sheet music, audio, and video	Adv.	Int. 2
Elaine Fine	she/her	American	Windy Nights from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Elaine Fine	she/her	American	Singing from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music video	Adv.	Adv.
Chad “Sir Wick” Hughes	he/him	American	First Suite for Solo Cello sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Elaine Fine	she/her	American	Dreidel Fantasy sheet music and audio	Adv.	Adv.
Elaine Fine	she/her	American	Ferdinand sheet music and audio	Adv.	Adv.
Elaine Fine	she/her	American	Ferdinand II sheet music and audio	Adv.	Adv.
Elaine Fine	she/her	American	My Shadow from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music video	Adv.	Adv.
Eleanor Alberga	she/her	British	Ride Through sheet music video	Adv.	Adv.
Gabriel de Souza Alencar	he/him	Brazilian	Microconcerto No.1 sheet music and audio	Adv.	Adv.
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	Honor Your Mother from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music video	Adv.	Adv.
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	Keresimesi Alayo (Joyful Christmas) sheet music video	Adv.	Adv.
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	Mother is a Priceless Jewel sheet music video	Adv.	Adv.
J. Kimo Williams	he/him	American	Quiet Shadows sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
José Elizondo	he/him	Mexican- American	Limoncello sheet music and audio	Adv.	Adv.
Kohei Kondo	he/him	Japanese	Prayer on the Seashore sheet music and audio	Adv.	Adv.
Reena Esmail	she/her	Indian- American	Varsha sheet music video	Adv.	Adv.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason	he/him	English	Melody sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.

Cello and Piano

Level rubrics can be found here.

Composer	Pronouns	Nationality	Title	Pitch Level	Rhythm Level
Mathilde Bilbro Arr. Sam Araya	she/her	American	The Jolly Trolly-Riders from Bilbro’s Very First Piano Lessons sheet music	Beg. 3	Beg. 1
Mathilde Bilbro Arr. Sam Araya	she/her	American	Rosebud Waltz from Bilbro’s Very First Piano Lessons sheet music	Beg. 3	Beg. 2
Mathilde Bilbro Arr. Sam Araya	she/her	American	Village Dance from Happy Half-Hours in Melody Land sheet music	Beg. 3	Beg. 2
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Late for School from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio	Int. 1	Beg. 2
Carey Cheney	she/her	American	Clock Tower Bells from Solos for Young Cellists Volume 1 sheet music	Int. 1	Beg. 2
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Cowboy from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio video	Int. 1	Beg. 3
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	The Cat Burglar from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio	Int. 1	Int. 1
Luise Adolpha Le Beau Arr. Sam Araya	she/her	German	Gottes Segen from 5 Lieder Op. 14 No. 1 sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Shifting Sands from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio video	Int. 1	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Wedding Day from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio	Int. 1	Int. 1
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Pizzi-(Cool)-Cat from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 1
Chrysanthe Tan	they/them	Cambodian- Greek- American	Retrospect sheet music video	Int. 1	Int. 1
Hilda Dederich Arr. Sam Araya	she/her		Swing Boats from The Old Fair sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 1
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Chant from Clan sheet music audio	Int. 1	Int. 1
Maurice Arnold	he/him	American	A Canadian Boat Song sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 1
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Arr. Sam Araya	he/him	American	When I am Dead, My Dearest from Sorrow Songs, Op. 57 No. 2 sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 1
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		En Classe De Danse: La Valse (Dancing Class: The Waltz) sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 1
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		Avec Mon Cerf-Volant (With My Kite) sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	The Irish Hoedown from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio	Int. 1	Int. 2
Francis Johnson Arr. Sam Araya	he/him	American	Fort Erie from A Collection of New Catillons sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 2
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		Il Neige (It’s Snowing) from 10 Melodies for the Young Cellist sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 2
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		Mes Petits Soldats de Plomb (My Little Lead Soldiers) from 10 Melodies for the Young Cellist sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 2
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Mischief from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio	Int. 1	Int. 2
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Grumpy Gorilla from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Int. 1	Int. 2
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Bass Tango from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio video	Int. 1	Adv.
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Fandango from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio	Int. 1	Adv.
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Penguin Parade from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio	Int. 1	Adv.
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	The Bandit Masquerade from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio	Int. 1	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		A Café in Izmir from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Int. 1	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		A Café in Madrid from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Int. 1	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		A Café in Vienna from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Int. 1	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Salamanca from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Int. 1	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Rumbita from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Int. 1	Exp.
Marguerite Balutet Arr. Sam Araya	she/her	French	Bon Accueil sheet music	Int. 2	Beg. 2
Hilda Dederich Arr. Sam Araya	she/her		The Roundabout from The Old Fair sheet music	Int. 2	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Cheesewalk from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio video	Int. 2	Int. 2
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Bolonaise from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio	Int. 2	Adv.
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Barrel Dance from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio video	Int. 3	Beg. 3
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Floating in Time from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio	Int. 3	Beg. 3
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Barynya from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio video	Int. 3	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Wheelbarrow Race from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio	Int. 3	Int. 1
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Panache from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Int. 3	Int. 1
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		Berceuse Pour Didi (Lullaby for Didi) from 10 Melodies for the Young Cellist sheet music	Int. 3	Int. 1
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		Chansonette (Little Song) from 10 Melodies for the Young Cellist sheet music	Int. 3	Int. 1
Marie Dare	she/her	British	Valse sheet music	Int. 3	Int. 2
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	New Shoes from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio	Int. 3	Adv.
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Pasta Dance from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio video	Int. 3	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Tango Habanera from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Int. 3	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Sleazy from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Int. 3	Adv.
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		Au Parc: La Grosse Tortue (In The Park: The Big Turtle) from 10 Melodies for the Young Cellist sheet music	Int. 3	Adv.
Marie Dare	she/her	British	Serenade sheet music	Int. 3	Adv.
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	The Journey from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio video	Int. 3	Adv.
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Chinese Garden from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Fairy Dust from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio video	Adv.	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Spring Parade from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio video	Adv.	Int. 1
Akiana Molina	she/her	Costa Rican	Invierno, Op. 4 sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Winter Palace from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Adv.	Int. 1
Florence Price Arr. Elaine Fine	she/her	American	Adoration sheet music	Adv.	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Kite Flying from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Promise from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Lament from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Betrayal from Clan sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Beyond Scarborough Fair from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Morning Prelude from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Reel from Clan sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 1
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Pancakes from It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 2
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	The Bucaneer from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio video	Adv.	Int. 2
Carey Cheney	she/her	American	Budapesto from Solos for Young Cellists Volume 1 sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Francis Johnson Arr. Sam Araya	he/him	American	Castilian from A Collection of New Catillons sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	Gbo Ohun Awon Angeli (Hear the Voices of Angels) from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	Ise Oluwa (The Work of the Lord) from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	The Village Dance from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Highland Meeting from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 2
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Highlands from Clan sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 2
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	The Water is Wide from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Int. 2
José Elizondo	he/him	Mexican- American	Canción de cuna (Lullaby) sheet music, audio, and video	Adv.	Int. 2
José Elizondo	he/him	Mexican- American	La Alborada de la Esperanza (The Dawn of Hope) sheet music, audio, and video	Adv.	Int. 2
José Elizondo	he/him	Mexican- American	Princesa de Hadas (Fairy Tale Princess) sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		À l’Église (In Church) from 10 Melodies for the Young Cellist sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		Le Papillon Blanc (The White Butterfly) from 10 Melodies for the Young Cellist sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Suzanne Lecarpentier	she/her		Randonnée en Bicyclette (Bicycle Ride) from 10 Melodies for the Young Cellist sheet music	Adv.	Int. 2
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	The Dream from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		A Café in Paris from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Baker Street Blues from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Carnival from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Folies d’Espagne from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Kalinka Rhapsody from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Rondo alla Tarantella from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Ostinato in the Key of Jazz from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Twilight Tango from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		We gotta Boogie! from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		Variations from A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Clara Faisst	she/her	German	Andante Consolante Op. 7 No. 1 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Edmond Dédé Arr. Sam Araya	he/him	American	Mirliton Fin de Siècle sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Godwin Sadoh	he/him	Nigerian	Honor Your Mother from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Heitor Villa-Lobos	he/him	Brazilian	O Canto do Cisne Negro sheet music video	Adv.	Adv.
Huba de Graaff	she/her	Dutch	The forest is getting green slowly sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Armour & Battlefield from Clan sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Avanti from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Cailidh from Clan sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Circle from Clan sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Lilliburlero goes Scots from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	One Morning from Clan sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Over the Hills and Far Away from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Summer Memory from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Us from Clan sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Joanna Borrett	she/her	English	Variations on a Christmas Carol from Folk and Beyond sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Liana Alexandra	she/her	Romanian	Waltz from The Little Mermaid sheet music and audio	Adv.	Adv.
Minor Roberto Estrada	he/him	Guatemalan	Zamba y Gato sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Nazareno Peverelli		Argentine	Lúmenes sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Arr. Sam Araya	he/him	American	If Thou Art Sleeping from Southern Love Songs Op. 12 No. 4 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Arr. Sam Araya	he/him	American	A King There Lived in Thule sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Arr. Sam Araya	he/him	American	The Stones are Very Hard from 24 Negro Melodies, Op. 59 No. 2 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Ethel Smyth	she/her	English	Sonata, Op. 5 sheet music	Adv.	Adv.
Louise Farrenc	she/her	French	Sonata, Op. 46 sheet music video (movement 1) video (movement 2) video (movement 3)	Adv.	Adv.
Luise Adolpha Le Beau	she/her	German	Gavotte from 4 Stücke, Op. 24 sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Luise Adolpha Le Beau	she/her	German	Wiegenlied from 4 Stücke, Op. 24 sheet music audio	Adv.	Adv.
Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco	she/her		¡Huapango! from A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music	Adv.	Exp.
Ailbhe McDonagh	she/her	Irish	Busybody from It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio video	Exp.	Int. 2