Deborah Reeder, acclaimed cellist, cofounder of the Philadelphia Trio, and music teacher, has died at 83

Deborah Reeder, 83, of Narberth, acclaimed cellist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Opera Company of Philadelphia, cofounder of the celebrated Philadelphia Trio, and longtime music teacher, died Sunday, Jan. 6, of congestive heart failure at her home.

Drawn to the cello and chamber music as a young musician in Swarthmore, Ms. Reeder was intrigued by the instrument’s resonance and impact on the listener. She went on to master the works of Brahms, Beethoven, and other composers, and became principal cellist for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, now Opera Philadelphia, and the Mozart Society of Philadelphia.

Her prolific career spanned more than half a century, and Inquirer music critic Daniel Webster described her playing as “nonabrasive and restrained, full of inner colors” in a 1998 review. He said she “probed for the sweetness in the musical line,” and another reviewer noted her “brilliant legato” in 1991.

Although she played under conductor Eugene Ormandy in the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1973 to 1979 and with the Philadelphia Ballet orchestra and other large groups, Ms. Reeder especially enjoyed smaller concerts in churches, theaters, and schools. She cofounded the Philadelphia Trio with violinist Barbara Sonies in 1971, and, with pianist Elizabeth Keller, toured the Philadelphia region regularly and across the country and throughout Europe.

“People like to hear an instrument individually, as opposed to an orchestra, where they all play together,” she told the Reporter of Lansdale in 2000. “Ours is an intimate setting for beautiful music.”

Ms. Reeder was the subject of many stories in The Inquirer and other publications, and the trio earned rave reviews from, among others, the Washington Post and Richmond Times-Dispatch. They released recordings with Centaur Records, and Webster wrote in The Inquirer in a 1987 review that “the naturalness of the give and take within this ensemble magnified the music.”

She trained earlier with famed cellists Lorne Munroe and Orlando Cole in Philadelphia, and Luigi Silva in New York, and later earned invitations to play with the Philadelphia Concerto Soloists, Princeton Chamber Orchestra, American Society of Ancient Instruments, and many other groups.

She was an original member of the Amado String Quartet in 1961 and a music artist-in-residence for years at Rosemont College, Yellow Springs Institute, and Trenton State College, now the College of New Jersey. She appeared on radio and TV shows, and organized countless workshops, lectures, and student concerts.

She taught cello and chamber music privately and at University of the Arts, Temple University, and several music schools. Students nicknamed her Eager Beaver for her enthusiasm, and one said: “She taught me so much more than cello. She imparted a mindset of curiosity and hard work.”

Sonies said: “Introducing young players to the beauty and interconnectedness of studying and playing chamber music were the most rewarding activities for her.” Ms. Reeder told The Inquirer in 1972: “Teaching balances out playing. It makes you think about your own playing. …But if I had to choose, I’d still prefer playing.”

She visited Eagles Mere borough in northern Pennsylvania as a young girl and was enchanted by the resort community 69 miles west of Scranton. So she helped create the Eagles Mere Friends of the Arts in 1975, and she and Sonies, her longtime partner, established the annual Music in the Mountains summer camp at Eagles Mere that ran from 1976 to 2011.

“One of her gifts was to draw people together from disparate groups and form wonderful friendships,” Sonies said. “And music was the common link.”

Frances Deborah Reeder was born Jan. 19, 1940, in Bryn Mawr. She was raised in Swarthmore, and her mother taught piano and violin, and her father played records of classical music at home.

She attended the Philadelphia Musical Academy, now University of the Arts, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance. She trained at the Tanglewood music center in Massachusetts and Kneisel Hall music school in Maine, and lived in Haverford for a time. She moved to Narberth in 1978.

Ms. Reeder loved her cats, liked to travel, and went to as many new restaurants as she could. She enjoyed photography and sketching recently, and won prizes for her artwork at local shows.

She liked to hike and explore, and often reached out to others who needed a boost. “She was so kind and encouraging to me over the years,” a friend said in an online tribute.“

Sonies said: “She was warm and generous, and had an interest in many things in the natural world.”

In addition to her partner, Ms. Reeder is survived by other relatives.

A celebration of her life is to be held later.

Donations in her name may be made to Eagles Mere Friends of the Arts, 891 Laporte Ave., Box 166, Eagles Mere, Pa. 17731; and Animal Care Sanctuary, Box A, East Smithfield, Pa. 18817.