Just before the turn of the century, when Rebecca Roudman was anundergrad at Cal State Hayward studying music, the cellist loved performing inthe school orchestra, though she was also exploring styles far afield from theclassical canon.
Over the next quarter century she did well by her alma mater, now known asCal State University, East Bay, establishing herself as one of the most visibleand versatile crossover cellists in the region. Roudman is best known as thefrontwoman for Dirty Cello, a hard-working band that has honed a rollickingrepertoire of rock anthems, bluegrass standards and Americana originals.Always looking to expand her creative purview, Roudman decided to return toCSUEB to pursue a master’s degree in jazz in 2021, and was dismayed to discover “there was no orchestra anymore and hadn’t been for a while,” she said.“This disappointed me. Every university should have an orchestra.”’
After finishing her degree, Roudman convinced the music department to lether relaunch the ensemble, but with some important differences. The Cal State East Bay Chamber Orchestra restarted in the winter of 2024 with 11 members, half students and half non-students, with an eclectic repertoire reflects Roudman’s wide-open musical vision.
From the first Wednesday night rehearsal, “it was a very promising startand also scary,” she said. “I wanted to create something that wasn’t yourtypical college orchestra, focusing on demanding classical music. I wantedit to be all about fun, so we’ve been playing video game music, rock,zydeco, and yes, some classical too.”
With weekly rehearsals beginning again after the summer breakthe Cal State East Bay Chamber Orchestra now numbers nearly threedozen, and it’s expanded beyond the usual instrumentation. Open to anyadult at high-school-level proficiency, “We started with strings — violin, viola,cello, bass — but we’ve had people playing guitar, mandolin, lute and anoccasional woodwind player,” Roudman said.
“You can join at any time. I will help get you up personally. We’ve hadpeople join halfway through and it’s no problem.”
Even before the California State University system revealed a $2.3 billionbudget shortfall last month, CSUEB started shedding longtime music faultylike saxophonist Dann Zinn. The success of Roudman’s chamber orchestraoffers a faint silver lining in a deluge of bad news and potential further cutsto the school’s performing arts programs.
One particular challenge that Roudman has faced is reaching communitymembers to let them know about the new ensemble. There’s no list serveor Facebook group for people who fondly remember performing with theirhigh school orchestras.
Carryl Hsieh learned about the group from her cello teacher. The Pleasantonmom of two works in banking, and her musical background consisted mostlyof five years of piano lessons as a kid. But when her daughter started fifthgrade and picked out cello as her instrument in school, “I tried it and loved it,”she said.
She procured an instrument for herself and found an instructor, studying inparallel with her daughter, who’s still playing cello in middle school. “Myyounger daughter started fifth grade and I think she’s going to pick cello,too,” Hsieh said.
Hsieh joined the Cal State East Bay Chamber Orchestra in early 2024, andhas thrived in the welcoming atmosphere. “What I really love about it is thevariety of genres,” she said, noting she’s played rock songs, video gametunes and even a little music from Studio Ghibli films.
“Rebecca is known for being a crossover cellist,” Hsieh said. “She knowsjazz and all different types of music. I’m not super experienced in theorchestra world, but she makes sure everyone feels welcome. You don’tfeel pressure or anything. She’s definitely a people person, who makes therehearsals really enjoyable.”
Conducting and directing an orchestra is just the latest hat for Roudman,who could teach a master class on the string-player hustle. Dirty Celloplays some 100 gigs a year, with local dates coming up at Heirloom East Bay in Castro Valley Sept. 16 and the Campbell Theater in Martinez Oct. 3-4.
As for the Cal State East Bay Chamber Orchestra, the ensemble plans two concerts during the school year, with yet-to-be-scheduled dates in December 2025 and May 2026. The chamber orchestra meets every Wednesday from 7-8:50 p.m. in Music Building Room 1039, E Loop Rd., Hayward. Contact RebeccaRoudman at CsuebOrchestra@gmail.com.
Roudman also leads the San Francisco Yiddish Combo, a group that infusesklezmer music with her love of other roots traditions. She brings asimilar ignore-the-box mindset to CSUEB.
“It’s hard for teachers to break out of ‘this is how we’ve always done it,’”said Roudman, who has performed with Santa Rosa Symphony andOakland Symphony. “The straight and narrow classical path is not aformula that works any more. String players need to be versatile if you wantto make a living. I can give them my expertise.”