In 1967 Evangeline Benedetti was invited by Leonard Bernstein himself to become a member of the New York Philharmonic, the first female cellist and the second tenured woman. She remained an active and integral member for more than 40 years, during which time she played nearly 8,000 concerts and participated in countless recordings and television productions including the renowned Young People's Concerts conducted by Bernstein. Mrs. Benedetti served for 20 years on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music and is a sought after master clinician and guest artist. She currently lives in New York, where she teaches, continues to perform and serves on the boards of The Bloomingdale School of Music and The ViolinCello Society of New York.