Catherine Michelsen, Associate Conductor, PCYO and
Violin and Suzuki Instructor
Catherine Michelsen received a Bachelor of Music from Florida State University, a Master of Music in Violin Performance from The Boston Conservatory, and a Master of Music in Chamber Music from the University of South Florida. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Arizona, where she is a student of Mark Rush. Other major teachers have included Katie Lansdale, Carolyn Stuart, Bonnie Bewick, and Karen Clarke.
A Suzuki-registered teacher, Michelsen is an active educator in the Tampa area, serving as a faculty member for the Patel Conservatory and maintaining a private studio. She is an active performer having played with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Michelsen has played in master classes for violinists including James Buswell, Martin Chalifour, Pamela Frank, Ani Kavafian, and Bayla Keyes, and has played the Baroque violin in master classes for Marilyn McDonald, Riccardo Minasi, and Stanley Ritchie. She has attended music festivals including Aspen and Meadowmount, and has served as a teaching assistant at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Vermont. Performances featuring Michelsen have been broadcast on KUAZ-FM, Tucson's public radio station.