Cynthia Kempf

Cynthia Kempf is married to violinist Andrew Bruck. They met at the Yale School of Music.

What do you want patrons of the symphony to know about you?
I’m a huge advocate of the Alter-g treadmill. It uses differential air pressure to “unweight” your body, making it possible to recover from injuries faster, or train yourself to run faster.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a professional musician?
After reading Freakonomics, I wished I had gone into applied economics.

What do you do in your spare time?
I train and compete with my rat terrier Comet in dog agility, try to increase my bike riding speed on the Baldwin rail-trail and dabble with gardening.

What sports do you participate in?
If you count these as sports, then dog agility and bike riding.

Do you have a favorite team?
The dog agility team of Cindy and Comet, of course.

What is your favorite food?
There are too many of these to count!

Who is your favorite composer?
In orchestra, I either like playing elegant pieces that remind me of my string quartet days, like Haydn symphonies, or pieces that couldn’t possibly be played by a string quartet, like Bruckner or Mahler symphonies.

What are you currently listening to?
Podcasts of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” and Janacek String Quartets.

Education
Prior to Yale, Bachelor of Music degree at Michigan State University.