About

Michelle Edelman began piano at the age of four and violin at the age of nine. 

During high school she studied violin with members of the Omaha Symphony including Phyllis Duncan and Keith Plenert, principal second violin. Viola was begun in high school, but violin remained Michelle's true passion.

Michelle attended the University of South Dakota (USD) and earned a Bachelor's of Music in Violin Performance in 2005. During her first two years at USD, she was a recipient of a Truran Piano Scholarship and studied piano with Dr. Susan Keith Gray. Violin studies were with Dr. John Thomson, who returned to New Zealand in 2009. In 2001, Michelle joined the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra as a member of the violin section. 

Unique opportunities Michelle had while at USD include spending a year at the National Music Museum as a student assistant and performing a lecture recital there in 2002. As a result of Michelle’s interest in baroque violin, she has participated in masterclasses with Ingrid Matthews and Monica Huggett. 

In 2004, Michelle continued her violin studies with Amy Sims, former concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony. Michelle briefly studied violin with Dr. Dan Auerbach, his teachers have included Dorothy DeLay, Felix Galimir, Harvey Shapiro and Lewis Kaplan from the Juilliard School.

Besides working as a freelance musician on both the violin and viola, Michelle has taught private lessons since 2003. She regularly challenges herself with orchestra auditions. Past auditions have included the Chicago Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony and Milwaukee Symphony.