Lewis Patzner

Lewis Patzner is a cellist and composer from Oakland, California. He studied in the Bay Area with Julie Feldman, Clive Geensmith, and Jean-Michel Fonteneau, and then in Baltimore at the Peabody Institute with Amit Peled. 

Lewis plays all styles of music and has an extensive list of recording credits, collaborating with artists including Slash, Demi Lovato, Pete Yorn, The Coup, and Pacific Mambo Orchestra. He has performed live with Lauryn Hill and the Fugees, Mates of State, Train, Tim Kasher, Odesza, and Margot and the Nuclear So-and-So's. He has recorded AND performed with Pinback, Dredg, Taking Back Sunday, Kari Jobe, Kim Walker-Smith, The Matches, and Briget Boyle. Also, as a recording artist, Lewis is the featured cellist on the scores of the films “Can You Ever Forgive Me” and “Nightbitch.” 

Past groups include Judgement Day (founding member), Whiskerman (founding member), and La Dee Da. Current groups include Town Quartet, Cosa Nostra Strings, Proteus Trio, and Musical Art Quintet. Although not a formal member of any orchestra, Lewis has appeared with many such groups in the Bay Area, including as principal cello with Oakland Symphony, West Edge Opera, Berkeley Opera, The Bay Philharmonic, and Vallejo Symphony. 

Lewis writes chamber music for a variety of instrumentations, as well as chamber operas. 2 of these, "The Difference," and "The Green Revolution," premiered in 2023. 

In 2018, Lewis co-founded the Glenview Classical Series, a nonprofit organization that presents monthly concerts in Oakland. Find audio, video, and sheet music, at lewispatzner.com.