Thursday, October 1, 2026
For Lily Perrotta, the cello has been part of her life since childhood, beginning in the music classes at Sea Cliff School and now carrying her across the Atlantic for graduate study in the United Kingdom.
Perrotta, whose mother now lives in East Norwich, is completing the final year of her undergraduate degree in instrumental performance at Temple University in Philadelphia, and will attend the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire at Birmingham City University, where she plans to focus on both Baroque and modern cello.
The move marks the culmination of years of study for Perrotta, who first picked up the instrument as a child in Sea Cliff. She said she began playing around age 8, as part of musical education in the district.
“Well, I don’t think I chose it,” Perrotta joked. “I think that they just gave it to me because I was tall for a third grader.”
What began as a school assignment gradually evolved over the years, though not without challenges. Like many young musicians, Perrotta went through a period of frustration with the instrument.
“I loved it, and then I went through sort of a period where I hated it, and then I came back to loving it after like 10th grade in high school,” she said, “and that was when I decided to pursue it professionally.”
Her renewed passion came through the music itself, particularly the repertoire she discovered as she matured as a performer. Perrotta’s musical interests lie primarily in Western classical music, with a special love for Renaissance and Baroque works.
She said the conservatoire’s flexibility was a major factor in her decision.
“They offered me the opportunity to do whatever I wanted, and create my own course plan, so I could do Baroque cello and modern cello,” Perrotta said. “I really liked the idea that I could create my own degree.”
Her graduate program at Temple culminated in two recital performances rather than a written thesis, which were held on April 1. Perrotta said she had long planned to pursue a master’s degree and knew she wanted to do so abroad.
Her choice of the United Kingdom was not initially specific, but after studying in Rome last summer and exploring opportunities overseas, the British conservatoire emerged as the right fit.
Currently, Perrotta balances performing with teaching, an aspect of the profession she has come to love. She teaches mostly children through a youth orchestra program in Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey, while also working with private students.
As she looks ahead to Birmingham, she said the city’s vibrant student population and musical culture remind her of Philadelphia.
“Like Philly… I feel like it’s often overlooked,” Perrotta said. “But there’s some really excellent schools and musicians here, and there’s a real, really competitive and in interesting musical culture here, and I’m getting the same vibe from Birmingham.”
