Miranda Wilson, D.M.A.

Miranda Wilson, D.M.A., is a New Zealand-American cellist who has performed as a soloist and chamber musician on five continents. She has made many broadcast and commercial recordings, including Wondrous Love: Works for Solo Cello (Albany Records), featuring compositions by Ernest Bloch and Daniel Bukvich. She also appeared on the world premiere recording of Sofia Gubaidulina’s Quaternion for four cellos (Chandos).

In addition to her performing career, Wilson enjoys writing about cello literature, pedagogy and history. Her first book, Cello Practice, Cello Performance (Rowman & Littlefield) addresses the ways efficient daily practice can lead to success in performance. Her second book, The Well-Tempered Cello: Life with Bach’s Cello Suites (Fairhaven Press) is a memoir about her lifelong journey through Johann Sebastian Bach’s beloved compositions. She is a regular contributor to Strings and other music journals.

Wilson joined the Lionel Hampton School of Music faculty in 2010. She is the founder and co-director of the LHSOM Preparatory Division and co-artistic director of the Idaho Bach Festival. She enjoys performing, teaching and adjudicating all over Idaho and the Northwest. During summers, she teaches at the Red Lodge Music Festival in Montana and the Lionel Hampton Music Camp.

Born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Wilson made her soloist debut aged 16, playing Elgar’s cello concerto with the Orchestra Wellington. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, a Master of Music from Goldsmiths College, University of London, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin. Her principal teachers were Judith Hyatt, Rolf Gjelsten and the other members of the New Zealand String Quartet, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Alexander Ivashkin, Phyllis Young, András Fejér and the other members of the Takács Quartet, and Judith Glyde. She began her career as the founding cellist of the Tasman String Quartet, winning top prizes in a number of international competitions and residencies at the Aspen Music Festival and School, Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada), and Auburn University (Alabama).

Wilson has won several major academic awards, including the Fulbright Scholarship, the International Peace Scholarship, several grants from the New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women, and the British Airways Traveling Fellowship.