Principal Cello
A native of South Dakota, cellist Kelley Mikkelsen has performed in concerts throughout the United States and Europe and has worked with a variety of celebrated soloists, chamber musicians, and conductors, such as Bobby McFerrin, Yo-Yo Ma, Joan Tower, Ursula Oppens, Gary Karr, as well as the Cleveland, Colorado and Cavani Quartets. As cellist of the internationally renowned Cassatt Quartet, she made appearances at Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Tanglewood Music Theater, Symphony Space, Bargemusic, the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress. She was the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including CMA/ASCAP awards for adventurous programming, commissioning grants from Meet the Composer and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as an award of excellence from the Academy of Arts and Letters in NYC. She has been invited as Artist-in Residence to Princeton and Yale Universities, Syracuse University, the University at Buffalo, Bucknell University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
EARLY CAREER
In 2003, Ms. Mikkelsen was named principal cellist for the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and Opera Roanoke; she has also performed with the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, formerly Wiliamsburg Symphonia, since 2007.
She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music as a pupil of Paul Katz, and completed her MasterÕs degree at the University of Akron, studying with Michael Haber.
With a deep commitment to nurturing young musicians, Ms. Mikkelsen has taught on the faculties of Augustana College, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and East Carolina University, and she currently maintains a private studio.
She has recorded for the Koch, Naxos, New World, Point, CRI, Tzadik, and Albany labels.
Ms Mikkelsen plays a Bartolomew Bimbi cello from Florence, Italy, made in 1780.