He has distinguished himself as one of the finest and most versatile instrumentalists of his generation, performing to critical acclaim as soloist, recitalist, orchestra principal, recording artist, chamber musician, and composer-arranger. In 2010, deMaine became a founding member of the highly acclaimed Ehnes String Quartet and completed several world tours and recordings with the ensemble. In 2012, he was invited to join the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Principal Cello. He collaborates often in a piano trio with violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Natalie Zhu. 

A first-prize winner in many national and international competitions, deMaine was the first cellist ever to win the grand prize at San Francisco’s Irving M. Klein International String Competition. As a soloist, he has collaborated with many distinguished conductors, including Neeme Järvi, Peter Oundjian, Joseph Silverstein, and Leonard Slatkin, and has performed nearly all the major cello concertos with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he served as Principal Cello for over a decade. 

His recording of the John Williams Cello Concerto is available on Naxos. Other recordings include the complete works of Beethoven for piano and cello with pianist Peter Takács, the Haydn Cello Concertos with the Moravian Philharmonic of the Czech Republic, and a recital CD of Grieg and Rachmaninoff sonatas with pianist Andrew Armstrong. 

DeMaine studied at The Juilliard School, the Eastman School of Music, the University of Southern California, Yale University, and the Kronberg Academy in Germany. 

Learn more at RobertdeMaine.com