MEREDITH BLECHA-WELLS, Cellist
B i o g r a p h y
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, IL), WMBR (Cambridge, MA), KALX (Berkley, CA), WRUV (Burlington, VT), WCNY (Syracuse, NY), KUCO (Edmond, OK), 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 as well as 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 several 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.