Cassia Harvey is a cellist, cello teacher, and writer of cello technique. She began her cello studies at the age of eight with Lillian Kauffman and continued her studies with Deborah Reeder and Jeffrey Solow.
Cassia began teaching cello at the age of 16, writing supplementary exercises for her students as she formed her system of teaching. Heavily influenced by the exercises and system that Agrippina Vaganova developed for training ballet dancers in Russia in the early part of the 20th century, Cassia's system for training cellists is based on the belief that technical exercises and etudes can be used methodically to train the hands most efficiently, while freeing the mind to interpret the music without distraction from technical issues. Her methodical system of teaching combines exercises with carefully chosen teaching repertoire, designed to bring students to the highest level in the shortest amount of time, at once eliminating technical weaknesses and strengthening the cellist's innate musicality.
Cassia has soloed with the Kennett Symphony and the Warminster Symphony. She was first-place winner of the PADESTA, the Concerto Soloists, the Cafferata-Jackson, and Bournemouth International Music Festival Competitions. Her performances have been broadcast on Philadelphia’s Channel 57 and New York Public Television. Recent performances include the Reading Public Museum, the Ethical Society of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Academy of Music, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and New York’s Weill Recital Hall. Cassia has performed with her sister, Myanna, as part of the Harvey String Duo since 1994. She has been performing with the Philmore Trio since 2011 and theMusicalia Ensemble since 2015.
Cassia has authored over one hundred and ninety study books for the classical string instruments. In 2002, she founded C. Harvey Publications, which has sold over 90,000 books to string players in over 75 countries. Cassia was the subject of a 2017 article in the Epoch Times and her contributions about the creative process were featured in 14 Artists Break Down the Creative Process.
Her first recording, The Russian Cello: Rare Treasures from Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, with pianist Tim Ribchester, was released by Montag Recordsand is available from Amazon.com, Itunes, and other streaming sites. In 2021, Cassia released Grace and Peace; American Hymns, with violinist/violist Myanna Harvey.