Cellist Esther Rothwell (formerly Seitz) was brought up in a musical home and fell in love with the cello at the age of 8. Based in Dallas, TX, Esther enjoys a multifaceted career as a performer and educator. An accomplished orchestral cellist, Esther currently holds a position with the Dallas Opera Orchestra. In 2021, she won the Minnesota Orchestra’s prestigious Rosemary and David Good Fellowship and performed with the orchestra through Spring of 2023. Esther then held a position with the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra for their 2023 Summer season. She has been a guest with the Kansas City Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Fort Worth Opera, and the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, among others. Esther is also an active freelancer. She can be found performing at venues ranging from local churches to the American Airlines Center and has performed with and recorded for major artists including Laufey, Andrea Bocelli, and Mariah Carey.

In addition to her orchestral endeavors, Esther is a sought-after chamber musician and has been invited to perform as part of the Basically Beethoven Festival in Dallas, the Music in the West End Chamber Series in Aspen, CO, University of Arizona’s Guest Artist Recital Series, and Minnesota Orchestra’s Chamber Music Series. She is also a co-founder of the award-winning Bowery Trio which was formed in 2019. The Trio has won grants from organizations such as Chamber Music America, Finlandia Foundation National, and the Sibelius Fund. They recently released their debut album, This Is Us, in 2024, and their newest album, Mission in the North, was released by Alba Records in 2025. The trio continues to perform both nationally and internationally.  

Esther also enjoys a vibrant teaching career. She currently teaches privately in the Dallas area and serves as Adjunct Cello Faculty at Dallas College. She was a teaching assistant to Julia Lichten at the Meadowmount School of Music in 2019, and since then has been invited to give masterclasses, lectures, and serve as faculty for institutions such as the University of Arizona, International Cello Institute, BridgeMusik, and Music Academy of Kansas City.

Esther is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Her major teachers include Julia Lichten, Michael Mermagen, Mark Gibbs, and Carter Enyeart. Esther has also studied with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Hans Jørgen Jensen, David Geber, and Josephine Knight as part of various chamber coachings, festivals, and masterclasses.