Brent Selby, cellist and teacher, was raised on a farm in the small town of Bath, North Carolina. Until the age of eleven, he fully expected to follow in his father’s footsteps as a farmer. That path changed after he saw Yo-Yo Ma perform on television—an experience that inspired him to pursue music instead.

Mr. Selby earned his bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Natasha Brofsky. He later continued his studies privately with Mela Tenenbaum.

In 2018, Mr. Selby joined the cello section of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. He was appointed Assistant Principal Cellist of the Portland Symphony Orchestra in 2021, and in 2022 became Principal Cellist of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. In 2024, he was named Principal Cellist of both the Boston Lyric Opera and the Portland Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to his orchestral career, Mr. Selby maintains a private cello studio at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Although he never returned to farming, his wife Jackie—also a cellist—often recruits him to help tend her ever-expanding garden.