The sound of the Yale Cellos is magnificent. A cello ensemble has a wide enough range to play from the bass to the soprano, and the sound is warm and lyrical throughout. Yale Cellos perform transcriptions from the chamber and orchestral repertoire, as well as works especially written for them that take advantage of the cello's singing tone. Indeed, Parisot has often said that the cello is the instrument closest to the human voice.

To hear the Yale Cellos is also to experience the complex and compelling rhythms of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1, for cello ensemble, and No. 5, for cello ensemble and soprano. Parisot has a deep knowledge of and experience with this music. It is also to hear the cantabile writing of J. S. Bach in a medium that brings out the lyricism, and to hear, with heightened clarity, the polyphonic character of his work. It is to hear the fresh Romantic lyricism of Dave Brubeck—a musician famous for his unusual jazz rhythms, so it can be a revelation to experience his gift for melody. It is also to hear the expansive, lyrical melodies of contemporary composer Ezra Laderman, who enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the Yale Cellos and wrote four works especially for them; and it is to hear the full, dramatic harmonies of his contemporary Christopher Rouse.

The group of approximately sixteen cellos has performed at prestigious national and international venues. They have delighted large audiences in France, England, and Korea, as well as in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, and are a major attraction at Yale, always performing to a packed house. Parisot believes strongly in the importance of having a good audience, and the concerts are well publicized. Yale Cellos performances and recordings—from Delos, Naxos, Albany, and Calliope, for example—are of exceptionally high quality and the recordings serve as documents of their accomplishments that inspire cellists to come to Yale for the professional experience, camaraderie and sheer fun that are part of the group.