Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Welcomes New Cellists

Cellists Ethan Blake and Simon Housner will join the orchestra as cellist Robbie Hausmann is retiring after 43 years

New York’s Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) has welcomed Ethan Blake as a new assistant principal cellist and Simon Housner as a section cellist. Both will begin their roles from September 2025.  

Blake and Housner’s appointments followed a three-day audition process involving nearly 50 candidates, led by a committee of BPO musicians and Music Director JoAnn Falletta. 

Additionally, Housner will be succeeding Robbie Hausmann, who will retire this summer after a 43-year tenure. 

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Colorado Boulder, Blake has since performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Alabama Symphony, and more. He has also served as assistant principal cello of the Boulder Philharmonic. 

Blake has held fellowships at the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, plus taught at El Sistema Colorado, Parlando School of the Arts, Eastman Community Music School, and the ROCmusic Collaborative. 

Housner is a graduate of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and Oberlin College and Conservatory, and has previously served as principal cello with the Sarasota Music Festival Orchestra, Spoleto Festival USA, and the Shepherd School Symphony. 

He has further played with the Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, plus appeared at the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Academy, Manchester Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and more. Housner is also the founder of the Sacred Heart Concert Series at Oberlin, and has coached for the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra, Symphony in C Youth Orchestra, and Rice University’s Campanile Orchestra. 

To honor the career and contributions of retiring cellist Robbie Hausmann, the BPO will be presenting him as a soloist in Ernest Bloch’s Prayer at their Patron Appreciation Concert on July 23, 2025.

“Robbie has been a treasured colleague and an anchor of our cello section for over four decades,” said Falletta. “His artistry and character have left an indelible mark on the BPO, and we will miss him greatly. As we prepare to turn the page, we're excited to welcome Ethan and Simon, whose musicianship and expressive playing stood out during the audition process. I look forward to working with them as they add their talents to our orchestra.”

“It’s been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember to be able to perform with an orchestra like the BPO,” Blake expressed. “To join this amazing ensemble as a full-time member is an immense honor and privilege. I can’t wait to move to Buffalo and get started!”

“I am ecstatic to be joining the BPO!” Housner added. “It is an incredible honor to be offered a position in this GRAMMY Award-winning orchestra well known for its stellar recordings, and I am thrilled to play under the baton of legendary Maestra JoAnn Falletta after working with her at Music Academy of the West in 2023. I am truly grateful to begin a new life chapter under her leadership while meeting the warm and welcoming BPO family.”