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John Michel enjoys his career as soloist, chamber musician and teacher. This fall he performed multiple recitals of the Six Bach Cello Suites for memory, a significant accomplishment for any professional cellist. In 2003 he collaborated with conductor Paul-Elliott Cobbs and the Tacoma Youth and Everett Symphonies in performances of Elgar’s Cello Concerto. In 2001, he was one of seven cellists featured at the First Kobe International Cello Festival, Japan, where he gave a solo recital and masterclass. At the World Cello Congress III, he premiered the new Solo Cello Sonata “Othmar” by composer Maria Newman. In addition to regular solo recitals, he has performed the Dvorak, Shostakovich, Haydn D, Elgar, Tchaikovsky “Rococo”, Brahms Double and Beethoven Triple Concertos. He has recorded onto CD the Dvorak Cello Concerto and Bach Suites G & C, and the Newman Solo Sonata, which also can be heard at johnmichel.com .

He is the founder and director of the Internet Cello Society (cello.org), a cyber-community of cellists which currently has 12,000 ICS members represent 84 different countries.

Professor Michel has given masterclasses for the Banff International Orchestra Festivals; Olympia, Icicle Creek and Tacoma Youth Symphony organizations; the Seattle Cello Society and the Interlochen Arts Camp. The American String Teacher Association, Washington chapter, named him Outstanding College String Teacher in 1996.

His formal training includes Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of Michigan and the New England Conservatory. Bernard Greenhouse of the Beaux Arts Trio, Jeffrey Solow, and Stefan Popov were his main teachers. John Michel is currently in his fourteenth year as cello professor at Central Washington University. He is married to Kairos violinist Carrie Rehkopf, and has three sons, ages 10, 6 and 5.

Last updated July 31, 2008