Darrett Adkins, cello, has appeared as soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic, Tochio Soloisten, National Symphony of Brazil, Suwon Philharmonic, and the New Hampshire, North Carolina, Greenwich, and Monadnock Music Festival orchestras. He made his New York concerto debut with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Lincoln Center. He gave the American premiere of Donatoni’s Cello Concerto with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. An AMFS alumnus, Mr. Adkins made his Aspen debut in 2002 in Boulez’s Messagesquisse under James Conlon. He gave the world premieres of concertos by Philip Cashian and Andrew Mead with the Oberlin Contemporary Ensemble, the world premiere of Jeffrey Mumford’s Concerto with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and the American premiere of Rolf Wallin’s concerto, Ground, at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall. He gave the first New York performance of Berio’s Sequenza XIV and recorded it for Naxos. From 1997–2002, Mr. Adkins was a member of the Flux Quartet, and he joined the Lion’s Gate Trio in 2012. He recorded Jay Greenberg’s Cello Quintet with the Juilliard Quartet, commissioned and recorded Philip Cashian’s Cello Concerto in 2014, and released his solo CD, Hypersuite 2, in 2013. Mr. Adkins joined the Juilliard faculty in 2002 and the Oberlin Conservatory faculty in 2003.

Amir Eldan performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and as guest principal cellist. In 2011-12, he served as principal cellist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra by invitation from Zubin Mehta and a year later, as guest principal cellist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. At age 22, he became the youngest member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York when he won the position of associate principal cellist and was invited by James Levine to perform with the MET Chamber Ensemble in Carnegie Hall.

As the winner of the Juilliard Competition, Eldan made his New York debut with the Brahms Double Concerto in Lincoln Center and has performed the six Bach Cello Suites in a series of concerts worldwide.

Eldan has collaborated in chamber music performances with members of the Cleveland, Guarneri, and Juilliard String Quartets and the Beaux Arts Trio, pianist Richard Goode, and cellists Lynn Harrell and Steven Isserlis.

Music festivals appearances include Bowdoin, Giverny (France), La Jolla (California), Pilsen (Czech Republic), Prussia Cove (England), and West Cork (Ireland). He also participated in the Marlboro music festival and toured with Musicians From Marlboro.

In 2006, while working on his doctorate, Eldan was appointed cello professor at the Oberlin Conservatory and served as chair of the String Department from 2015-19. He was a member of the Oberlin Trio and performed with the Trio throughout the U.S. and South Korea.

Professor Eldan holds a DMA and MM, both from Juilliard where he also served as a guest teacher. His performances have been featured on public television and radio in the U.S., Europe, and in Israel.

He was appointed a professor of cello at the University of Michigan in 2019.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Melissa Solomon grew up in a family of professional musicians, sparking her early passion for both performance and teaching. During high school, she earned a full scholarship to study at Interlochen Arts Academy in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She later immigrated to the United States, graduating from the Juilliard School in New York City, where she studied cello with Timothy Eddy and chamber music with Robert Mann, Earl Carlyss, and Jonathan Feldman.

Melissa believes that music has the power to inspire, heal, and connect people, a belief that fuels her dedication to teaching. While in New York City, she participated in Juilliard’s Community Fellowship Program, bringing music to diverse audiences across the metropolitan area.

Following her graduation from Juilliard and a move to Pasadena, California, Melissa established the Melissa Solomon Cello Studio, which quickly became a vibrant community. She founded the cello program at Suzuki Talent Education of Pasadena (STEP) and created Project C.E.L.L.O., an innovative course in performance education.

Melissa's commitment to professional development is evident in her faculty roles at various prestigious programs, including the Alaska Cello Intensive, National Cello Institute at Pomona College, Lone Star Young Artists Program in Dallas, Colorado Suzuki Institute, DFW WOW Suzuki Institute, Intermountain Suzuki String Institute in Utah, Chicago Music Institute workshops, Suzuki Strings by the Bay in Berkeley, and Nevada School of the Arts Summer Strings Camp. She regularly offers master classes at workshops throughout Texas.

A fully trained and registered Suzuki teacher, Melissa's training was guided by renowned Suzuki Teacher-trainers Pamela Devenport, Nancy Hair, Sally Gross, Carol Tarr, Jean Dexter, and Rick Mooney. She has been a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas since 2005.

In addition to her teaching, Melissa has a deep love for performing chamber music. She has appeared across the United States, Europe, and South Africa, with notable performances in New York, London, Florence, Edinburgh, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. Her festival appearances include the Accademia Chigiana (Italy), Edinburgh International Festival (Scotland), Bucknell Quartet Program (Pennsylvania), and Franschhoek Chamber Music Festival (South Africa). Highlights of her career include a solo recital at Lincoln Center’s Paul Hall (NY), performances at the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Italy), and leading the Juilliard Symphony celli at Carnegie Hall (New York) under the baton of James DePreist.

Melissa resides in South Austin, Texas, where she teaches private lessons, directs her South Austin Cello Choir, and coaches chamber music. Outside of her musical pursuits, she loves writing, wood-carving, drawing, hiking, and camping with her partner and two children, ages 13 and 11, and their two dogs. She cherishes time spent with family and friends, engaging in thoughtful discussions, playing games, and sharing laughter.

Alexander Suleiman studied with Eldar Issakadze, Daniil Shafran, and Natalia Gutman and has won numerous competitions with his main instrument and as a pianist in Germany, Spain, the USA, and Korea. His solo and chamber music CDs include world premiere recordings and have been released on numerous labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, MDG, TYXArt, and GuildMusic. The most recent CD recording was awarded the “Opus Klassik” (the former “Echo Award”) in October 2019.

As a soloist, Mr. Suleiman follows invitations to play with leading orchestras at the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the National Performing Arts Center in Beijing, the Mahler City Hall in Cape Town, as well as others in China, Germany, Russia, Italy, Austria, and South Africa. He frequently performs chamber music with his colleagues at international festivals such as the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival and the Woerthersee Classics. In addition, he is holding the position as artistic director at the Sommerakademie Neuburg, an international festival in Germany with a long-standing tradition, celebrating its’ 46th anniversary in 2024.

Following his position as an assistant professor of cello at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for numerous years, Mr. Suleiman accepted the position of distinguished professor of cello at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He is a frequent member of jury panels in international competitions in Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Beijing, Finland, and the U.S.

Besides his passion for music and cello, Mr. Suleiman’s life displays a variety of facets that include degrees in Mathematics, Physics, Latin, and ancient Greek. He holds a black belt in Taekwondo, and in his spare time, he pursues his passion for tournament chess as well as close-up magic as a distinguished Active Magician Member of the world-renowned Magic Castle in L. A.

Praised for her “beautifully full and lyrically strong tone” by Gramophone Magazine, Meredith Blecha-Wells is a sought-after performer and instructor. She has played throughout much of the United States, as well as Europe, Australia, South America, and Asia. Currently based in Colorado, Dr. Blecha-Wells recently joined the faculty at Colorado State University.

As a recording artist, Dr. Blecha-Wells has released several CDs spanning the solo, chamber music, and orchestral space. Her solo album was described as “technically dazzling” (The Whole Note), and she was praised for her “lyrical warmth and her powerful athleticism” (Classical Music Discoveries).  Dr. Blecha-Wells' recordings can be found on labels including Naxos, Navona, and Onyx Lane Productions and broadcast on numerous radio stations such as WFMT (Chicago, Illinois), WMBR (Cambridge, Massachusettes), KALX (Berkley, California), WRUV (Burlington, Vermont), WCNY (Syracuse, New York), KUCO (Edmond, Oklahoma), among others.

Dr. Blecha-Wells previously served as the Professor of Cello at Oklahoma State University, where she was awarded the College of Arts and Sciences Junior Faculty Award for Scholarly Excellence and the First Lady of OSU Distinguished Music Professor award.  A passionate pedagogue, Dr. Blecha-Wells is committed to raising the efficiency and joy in learning. Her students have gone on to remarkable programs, including the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory, the Eastman School of Music, Rice University, the University of Michigan, the Manhattan School of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory, Northwestern University, Indiana University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the University of Southern California, DePaul University, and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Additionally, her students have won several competitions, including the YoungArts National Awards, the Classics Alive Artists, Enkor International Competition, American Protégé Competition, Ad Astra String Competition, MTNA, Hyechka String Competition, among others. Dr. Blecha-Wells' students have also been selected to participate in prestigious festivals, including the National Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra 2, Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Green Mountain Music Festival, and others.

Dr. Blecha-Wells has taught at numerous festivals, clinics, and institutes spanning six continents. She has had the pleasure of teaching at the International Cello Institute, the Alaska Cello Intensive, Gran Encuentro Chelistas in Colombia, the Saarburg Chamber Music Festival in Germany, the Chicago Suzuki Institute, the Austin Suzuki Institute, among others. She has given numerous clinics and was the featured cello clinician at the 2024 American String Teachers Association Conference.

Dr. Blecha-Wells received a bachelor's and master's degree in Cello Performance from Indiana University and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.  Her teachers have included Janos Starker, Alan Harris, Emilio Colon, Helga Winold, Richard Hirschl, and Marc Johnson.   Additional studies include festival participation at the Taos School of Music, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

Dr. Lauren Posey is the executive director of the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute and performs as principal cellist of the Ballet West Orchestra. She is also on faculty at Westminster University, directs the Alaska Cello Intensive, and runs a successful private cello studio.

She was most recently honored as one of Utah’s 2024 Forty Under 40 by Utah Business Magazine for her work with the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute. Along with bringing some of the finest music education to Utah, Dr. Posey regularly performs with the Intermezzo Chamber Music Series and the Park City Beethoven Festival. Recently, she was also delighted to be the keynote speaker for the 2023 Utah ASTA Midwinter Workshop.

Dr. Posey’s extensive chamber music experience includes the 2013 Juilliard String Quartet Seminar, the 2014 Robert Mann String Quartet Institute, and the 2014 Deer Valley Music Festival Emerging String Quartet Program. In 2014, she won the 2014 MTNA National String Chamber Music Competition and the 2014 University of Utah Chamber Music Competition with the Rosco String Quartet. In 2016 and 2017, she was a quarterfinalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. She attended the 2016 Banff Chamber Music Residency and performed in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Masterclass Series for Wu Han with Trio Mondial.

In 2017, Dr. Posey completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University under Colin Carr's tutelage and was a recipient of the Staller Scholar Award. She began her music training in Salt Lake City with teachers Carey and Elliott Cheney. In 2012, she won the T. Gordon Parks Memorial Collegiate Concerto Competition and, the following year, also won the 2013 University of Utah Concerto Competition.

She graduated in 2011 with her Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from the University of Southern California under the tutelage of Alexander Suleiman. In 2014, she received a Master of Music from the University of Utah, where she studied with John Eckstein and Elliott Cheney.

In her spare time, Dr. Posey enjoys taking road trips with her partner Marcus and their six dogs Riggins, Taylor, Lyla, Garrity, Kora, and Cassidy. She also volunteers with Arctic Rescue, a Utah-based rescue that places an emphasis in finding homes for huskies and malamutes.

Dr. Posey’s cello was made in 2006 by local Salt Lake City maker Carrie Scoggins.