Israeli-Mexican-American cellist Michal Shein focuses her work on curating cross-cultural performance projects and intensive educational initiatives, empowering the next generation of musicians.

She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Cellisimo, a high-caliber virtual cello festival for Spanish-speaking cellists with limited resources that includes intensive lessons with the professor, masterclasses with great international teachers, transformative wellness sessions, and high-impact community building. The festival has been described as “...one of the most important and unique festivals of its kind in Latin America” (- Álvaro Bitrán, cellist of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano). The festival’s 60  alumni hail from countries including Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Honduras, Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and more. Guest teachers include Lluis Claret, Santiago Cañon-Valencia, Christine Lamprea, Álvaro Bitrán, Ángel Hernandez, Horacio Contreras, Temenuzhka Ostreva, Andrea Casarrubios, Germán Marcano, among other distinguished cellists.

A teacher in high demand, Michal is recognized for her pedagogical style that nurtures her students with effective pedagogical methods for holistic and elevated musical advancement. Michal’s cello students have been winners at major competitions and have received admission to top festivals such as BUTI Tanglewood, Brevard, YOLA Festival, Greenwood, National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, BEAM program, as well as top conservatories in the United States. Michal frequently teaches master classes at international conservatories and festivals. She recently served as a judge at the International Cello Competition in Mexico. As a speaker, she has been invited to the Sphinx Conference, El Sistema USA, New World Symphony, among others. In 2023, she was nominated as “Best El Sistema USA Teacher.”

In the fall of 2023, Michal was invited to join the faculty of New England Conservatory for the highly anticipated and innovative Teaching Artistry Concentration. In this new capacity, Michal is coaching today’s great musicians on how to develop a diverse career that will impact audiences and communities. Since 2019, Michal has been a professor and currently serves as the cello faculty chair at Boston String Academy, an award-winning El Sistema-inspired string program serving low-income students. Her students there have toured internationally, performed in major U.S. festivals, and recently had their debut concert at Carnegie Hall. Michal also holds a professorship at the University of Rhode Island, including Cellisimo students.

Michal has formed many projects and initiatives to engage audiences with classical music. One such project took place from 2012-2017 in Oaxaca, Mexico. With great support from the Harp Helú Foundation and the Santo Domingo Cultural Center, Michal created multiple residencies and a string festival with the collaboration of her distinguished colleagues violinist Sharon Cohen, violinist and composer Shaw Pong Liu, and violist Amelia Hollander Ames. The residencies consisted of diverse concerts in towns around Oaxaca, in markets, in libraries, museums, and more. The string festival included students from Esperanza Azteca and local universities, offering master classes, talks on pedagogy, improvisation, and more.

In addition to his diverse educational work, Michal maintains a career as a soloist, orchestral cellist, and chamber musician. From 2008-2013 he was principal cellist of the Discovery Ensemble Chamber Orchestra, while also immersing himself in baroque performance. He currently appears with the major orchestras and chamber ensembles in the Boston area. He has collaborated with the Celebrity Series of Boston and currently has a new duo collaboration with award-winning guitarist Adam Levin. As a duo, they are releasing new, newly arranged repertoire for cello and guitar, including music by Vivaldi, Schumann, Andrea Casarrubios, among others. They will tour the new repertoire several times in the 2024-2025 U.S. season in Boston, Washington DC, and Texas.

Michal received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied with Irene Sharp and graduated with honors. Following his undergraduate studies, Michal was awarded the Hertz Traveling Scholarship and the Harriet Woolley Award to study in Paris with Gary Hoffman and Mark Drobinsky. While in Europe, he also studied with Antonio Meneses at the Accademia Chigiana di Siena. Michal received his Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory, studying with Natasha Brofsky and graduating with honors. At NEC, he won the “Honors Trio” award collaborating with the great clarinetist Shirley Brill and the celebrated pianist Jonathan Aner. Michal has had the honor of participating in master classes with Anner Bylsma, Anssi Kartunen, Bonnie Hampton, Jean Michel Fontenaeu, Steve Doane, Alexander Bailli, among others.

Michal lives in Boston with her husband and two young children.