2026 Bethany Beach Cellofest Events
Come hear The BrickHouse Duo (violinist Peter Wilson and cellist Jennifer Kloetzel) at the Bethany Beach bandstand on 9 August 2026.
- Wednesday, 5 August at 10:30 AM at the South Coastal Library, Bethany Beach
- Cello Story Time with Erica Lessie and Brenda Neece
- Thursday, 6 August at noon at St. Martha's Episcopal Church (Sanctuary)
- Erica Lessie & Brenda Neece lunchtime recital
- Friday, 7 August at 10 AM at the Selbyville Public Library
- A Whale of a Cello Tale: Cello Story Time with Erica Lessie and Brenda Neece
- Co-presented by the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation
- Saturday, 8 August at 11 AM at Splash Laundromat, Georgetown
- Music for the Moon: Cello Story Time with Erica Lessie and Brenda Neece
- Co-presented by the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation
- Sunday, 9 August at 7:30 PM at the Bandstand, Bethany Beach Boardwalk
- Jennifer Kloetzel, The BrickHouse Duo, and the Cellofest Cello Quartet
- Tuesday, 11 August at noon at St. Martha's Episcopal Church (Church Hall)
- Jennifer Kloetzel lunchtime recital
- Thursday evening, 13 August at 7 PM at St. Martha's Episcopal Church (Parish Hall)
- Cello "Play-in" - free, and open to the public (bring your cello and join us as a cellist or attend as a listener)
- This program was made possible, in part, through the support of Associated Chamber Music Players (ACMP), an international service organization supporting people who play chamber music for the love of it. Join ACMP – Membership is FREE!
- Sunday, 16 August Coffee Concert (9 AM) & Service Music (10 AM) at St. Martha's Episcopal Church, Bethany Beach
- Jennifer Kloetzel, The BrickHouse Duo, Erica Lessie, Brenda Neece, and the Cellofest Cellists
For more information, please reach out to us via our contact page or email the director of the Bethany Beach Cellofest, Dr. Brenda Neece.
Bethany Beach Cellofest began with a simple idea:
to bring cello music to the place that has long brought renewal and inspiration to our founder, Dr. Brenda Neece.
Brenda first fell in love with Bethany Beach in 1978 — the same year she began playing the cello. Over the years, the beach became her place of reflection, restoration, and creative renewal, while the cello became her lifelong artistic companion.
Yet despite her deep connection to Bethany Beach, Brenda never encountered cello music there as a young musician.
So in 2024, she decided to bring the two together.
Cello Ensemble Rehearsal, Bethany Beach Cellofest 2024.
Created as part of the educational initiative of the Cello Museum’s Cello Guild, the Bethany Beach Cellofest was founded as a non-competitive cello retreat designed especially for adult learners.
Inspired by both adult chamber music camps and martial arts retreats, the Cellofest meets participants where they are and helps them grow toward their individual musical goals in a supportive and restorative environment.
Set beside the ocean, the retreat encourages focused musical study while also allowing time to rest, reflect, walk the beach, and reconnect with the joy of making music.
The Cellofest also shares cello music with the wider community through free public concerts and outreach events by faculty — creating the kind of access to cello music Brenda always hoped to find in Bethany as a young musician. From children’s musical story times to a concert on the boardwalk, the festival brings together faculty, local musicians, students, and audiences in celebration of cello music at the beach.
