STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Playing Cello Fuels Columbia High School Senior Omari Rolle’s Passion for Music

At 9:30 on a Monday morning, the orchestra room inside Columbia High School is normally quiet. On this particular Monday, however, it’s filled with the sounds of senior Omari Rolle playing the cello.

The concentration on Omari’s face is serious. The movement of his right fingers on the neck of the cello is quick, as the bow in his left hand graces the strings near the bridge.

From the way he plays, you wouldn’t imagine that two and a half years ago Omari didn’t even know what a cello was, but in learning how to play the cello, he says he fell in love with it.

Omari has been performing in school choruses since elementary school, and his uncle is a jazz musician. One day during his sophomore year, Omari decided to join Columbia High’s orchestra. He says he didn’t know what he wanted to play at first, so the school’s orchestra director introduced him to the cello.

That’s when his love for the cello was born. 

“It’s so much more hands-on for me than singing. I like producing a sound with my hands,” Omari said.   

Omari says his favorite part about playing the cello is that there’s always something new for him to learn.

“There are different positions you can learn. There are different finger patterns you can learn. You’re learning ways to adjust your hands,” he said.

Omari’s biggest cello influences are renowned cellists Jacqueline du Pré and Mstislav Rostropovich.

“I would watch a lot of videos of them in order to learn their techniques and make sure I’m always checking my intonation,” he said.

Since learning to play the cello, Omari has participated in the South Carolina Music Educators Association’s Midlands Region Orchestra and the South Carolina Cello Choir. He says his most memorable performances were during Appalachian State University’s Cannon Music Camp, which he attended two years in a row.

When he participated in the camp this past summer, Omari was selected for the "Citation of Excellence" award from Appalachian State’s Rho Tau Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a professional music fraternity that advocates for the advancement of music in the United States and the development of musical leaders who serve their communities.

“I was really happy about receiving the award, which shows I demonstrated great musical capabilities,” Omari said.

He says the most important quality musicians should have is to be open to new ideas.

“When you’re a musician, you meet so many new people with great ideas. When you incorporate those people into yourself, you become a better person. You cannot have a fixed mindset when you’re a musician,” Omari said.

After graduation, Omari plans to attend college and major in music education. He says he hopes to return to Columbia High one day and teach orchestra or chorus.  

“I would really love to come back to Columbia High School to teach and see how much my community has grown,” he said. “We are eager to learn here. Seeing the growth and coming back would mean a lot to me.”

With his guidance, one of Omari’s future Columbia High students could fill the orchestra room with the sounds of a cello performance worthy of a symphony like he did on a simple Monday morning.