Here is a catalog of pieces of Western Classical Music written or arranged for cello solo or cello and piano by composers from historically excluded and currently underrepresented groups (including but not limited to composers who are Black, Latin American, Asian, and/or have gender identities other than cisgender male) that are accessible to cello learners. This list does not include music that is too challenging for the 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
| Composer | Pronouns | Nationality | Title | Pitch Level | Rhythm Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elaine Fine | she/her | American | Foreign Lands from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Elaine Fine | she/her | American | The Swing from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Elaine Fine | she/her | American | Singing from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music | Intermediate | Advanced |
| Elaine Fine | she/her | American | Windy Nights from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music | Intermediate | Advanced |
| Alejandro Díaz Giraldo | Colombian | Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 39 sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate | |
| Elaine Fine | she/her | American | My Bed is a Boat from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | Gbo Ohun Awon Angeli (Hear the Voices of Angels) from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | Ise Oluwa (The Work of the Lord) from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | The Village Dance from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| José Elizondo | he/him | Mexican-American | La Alborada de Esperanza sheet music, audio, and video | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Wendy Michels | she/her | American | Carefree sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Chad “Sir Wick” Hughes | he/him | American | First Suite for Solo Cello sheet music audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| Elaine Fine | she/her | American | Dreidel Fantasy sheet music and audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| Elaine Fine | she/her | American | Ferdinand sheet music and audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| Elaine Fine | she/her | American | Ferdinand II sheet music and audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| Elaine Fine | she/her | American | My Shadow from A Cellist’s Garden of Verses sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Eleanor Alberga | she/her | British | Ride Through sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Gabriel de Souza Alencar | he/him | Brazilian | Microconcerto No.1 sheet music and audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | Honor Your Mother from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | Keresimesi Alayo (Joyful Christmas) sheet music video | Advanced | Advanced |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | Mother is a Priceless Jewel sheet music video | Advanced | Advanced |
| J. Kimo Williams | he/him | American | Quiet Shadows sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| José Elizondo | he/him | Mexican-American | Baroque Dances sheet music and audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| José Elizondo | he/him | Mexican-American | Princesa de Hadas sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Kohei Kondo | he/him | Japanese | Prayer on the Seashore sheet music and audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| Reena Esmail | she/her | Indian-American | Varsha sheet music video | Advanced | Advanced |
| Sheku Kanneh-Mason | he/him | English | Melody sheet music audio | Advanced | Advanced |
Cello and Piano
| 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 | Beginner 3 | Beginner 1 |
| Mathilde Bilbro Arr. Sam Araya | she/her | American | Rosebud Waltz from Bilbro’s Very First Piano Lessons sheet music | Beginner 3 | Beginner 2 |
| Mathilde Bilbro Arr. Sam Araya | she/her | American | Village Dance from Happy Half-Hours in Melody Land sheet music | Beginner 3 | Beginner 2 |
| Carey Cheney | she/her | American | Clock Tower Bells from Solos for Young Cellists Volume 1 sheet music | Intermediate | Beginner 2 |
| Marguerite Balutet Arr. Sam Araya | she/her | French | Bon Accueil sheet music | Intermediate | Beginner 2 |
| Carey Cheney | she/her | American | Budapesto from Solos for Young Cellists Volume 1 sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Chrysanthe Tan | they/them | Cambodian-Greek-American | Retrospect sheet music video | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Francis Johnson Arr. Sam Araya | he/him | American | Fort Erie from A Collection of New Catillons sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Hilda Dederich Arr. Sam Araya | she/her | Swing Boats from The Old Fair sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate |
|
| Hilda Dederich Arr. Sam Araya | she/her | The Roundabout from The Old Fair sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate | |
| Luise Adolpha Le Beau Arr. Sam Araya | she/her | German | Gottes Segen, from 5 Lieder Op. 14 No. 1 sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Marie Dare | she/her | British | Serenade and Valse sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Maurice Arnold | he/him | American | A Canadian Boat Song sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Arr. Sam Araya | he/him | American | When I am Dead, My Dearest, from Sorrow Songs, Op. 57 No. 2 sheet music | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| Akiana Molina | she/her | Invierno, Op. 4 sheet music audio | Advanced | Intermediate | |
| Florence Price Arr. Elaine Fine | she/her | American | Adoration sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Francis Johnson Arr. Sam Araya | he/him | American | Castilian from A Collection of New Catillons sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | Ise Oluwa (The Work of the Lord) from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | Gbo Ohun Awon Angeli (Hear the Voices of Angels) from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | The Village Dance from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music | Advanced | Intermediate |
| Clara Faisst | she/her | German | Andante Consolante, Op. 7 No. 1 sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Edmond Dédé Arr. Sam Araya | he/him | American | Mirliton Fin de Siècle sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Godwin Sadoh | he/him | Nigerian | Honor Your Mother from A Suite of Nigerian Songs sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Heitor Villa-Lobos | he/him | Brazilian | O Canto do Cisne Negro sheet music video | Advanced | Advanced |
| Huba de Graaff | she/her | Dutch | The forest is getting green slowly sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Liana Alexandra | she/her | Romanian | Waltz from The Little Mermaid sheet music and audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| Minor Roberto Estrada | he/him | Guatemalan | Zamba y Gato sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Nazareno Peverelli | Argentine | Lúmenes sheet music | Advanced | Advanced | |
| Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Arr. Sam Araya | he/him | American | If Thou Art Sleeping from Southern Love Songs, Op. 12 No. 4 sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Arr. Sam Araya | he/him | American | A King There Lived in Thule sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Arr. Sam Araya | he/him | American | The Stones are Very Hard from 24 Negro Melodies, Op. 59 No. 2 sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Ethel Smyth | she/her | English | Sonata, Op. 5 sheet music | Advanced | Advanced |
| Louise Farrenc | she/her | French | Sonata, Op. 46 sheet music video (movement 1) video (movement 2) video (movement 3) | Advanced | Advanced |
| Luise Adolpha Le Beau | she/her | German | Gavotte from 4 Stücke, Op. 24 sheet music audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| Luise Adolpha Le Beau | she/her | German | Wiegenlied from 4 Stücke, Op. 24 sheet music audio | Advanced | Advanced |
| Ailbhe McDonagh | she/her | Irish | It’s a Cello Thing Book 1 sheet music audio | varied | varied |
| Ailbhe McDonagh | she/her | Irish | It’s a Cello Thing Book 2 sheet music audio | varied | varied |
| Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco | she/her | A Musical Odyssey Book 1 sheet music | varied | varied | |
| Barbara Arens Wendy Velasco | she/her | A Musical Odyssey Book 2 sheet music | varied | varied | |
| Suzanne Lecarpentier | she/her | Ten Melodies for the Young Cellist sheet music | varied | varied |
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.