Cellist Miranda Wilson has spent her career exploring what it means to live with music—as a performer who has taken the cello all over the world, as a teacher who guides the next generation of cellists, and as a writer of four books about the cello.
Growing up in Wellington, New Zealand, Wilson discovered early that the cello would shape her life’s path. At 16, she made her solo debut, playing Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Orchestra Wellington, marking the beginning of a performing career that would take her from New Zealand to venues across six continents, and most recently to Costa Rica.
Wilson’s chamber music journey began with the Tasman String Quartet, which she co-founded and with which she earned recognition at international competitions. The quartet’s success led to residencies at the Aspen Music Festival and School, Canada’s Banff Centre for the Arts, and Auburn University in Alabama—experiences that deepened her love of collaborative music-making.
Her recording projects reflect both her curiosity about repertoire and her commitment to bringing lesser-known works to light. The solo album Wondrous Love: Works for Solo Cello juxtaposes century-old works by Ernest Bloch with present-day compositions by Daniel Bukvich, while her recording of Sofia Gubaidulina’s Quaternion demonstrates her commitment to contemporary music. A recent duo album with cellist Michelle Kesler features Michel Corrette’s Les Délices de la solitude, continuing Wilson’s exploration of lesser-known cello music.
Today, Wilson serves as Professor of Cello at the University of Idaho Lionel Hampton School of Music. As Artistic Director of the Idaho Bach Festival, she creates opportunities for both performers and audiences to experience Bach’s music in intimate settings.
Wilson’s writing career grew from her desire to talk about what she has learned through decades of playing, teaching, and thinking about the cello. Her four books tackle different aspects of the cello world: Cello Practice, Cello Performance (2015) addresses the gap between practice room work and stage performance; The Well-Tempered Cello: Life with Bach’s Cello Suites (2022) explores Bach’s beloved masterpieces for solo cello; Teaching Violin, Viola, Cello, & Double Bass (2023), co-authored with colleagues Dijana Ihas and Gaelen McCormick, examines string pedagogy across all four bowed string instruments; and Notes for Cellists: A Guide to the Repertoire (2024) tells the stories of the music that defines what it means to be a cellist.
Her articles for Strings magazine have made complex musical ideas accessible to players at all levels, reflecting her belief that the ideas of cello technique, music history, and music analysis should complement, not intimidate, the experience of playing.
Wilson’s education reflects her international perspective. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, her Master of Music from Goldsmiths, University of London, and her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas, plus a Graduate Certificate in String Quartet Performance from the University of Colorado. Her teachers—Judith Hyatt, Rolf Gjelsten, Alexander Ivashkin, Natalia Pavlutskaya, Phyllis Young, Judith Glyde, and András Fejér—represent a rich diversity in playing styles that continue to influence her approach to the instrument.
Whether performing, teaching, or writing, Wilson brings the same dedication to understanding how music works and why it matters. Her career demonstrates that expertise comes not just from mastery of the instrument, but from the desire to keep exploring what the cello can do and say.
Miranda Wilson 