Michal Shein is the Founder and Artistic Director of Cellisimo, a festival that has trained 80+ Spanish-speaking cellists from over 12 Latin American countries. The highly regarded festival engages students with limited resources and provides them with masterclasses with world-class faculty, transformative wellness sessions and a nurturing peer community. 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). In addition to the opportunity to study closely with Michal, guest teachers have included 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 conservatories and universities, as well as top festivals such as BUTI Tanglewood, Brevard, YOLA Festival, Greenwood, National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, BEAM program. Michal frequently teaches masterclasses at international conservatories and festivals. She recently served as a judge at the National 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 Chair at Boston String Academy, an award-winning El Sistema-inspired string program. Her students at BSA have toured internationally, performed in major U.S. festivals, and recently had their debut concert at Carnegie Hall. Michal served on the faculty of at the University of Rhode Island from 2022-2025. 

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 the 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 masterclasses, talks on pedagogy, improvisation, and more.

In addition to her diverse educational work, Michal maintains a career as a soloist, orchestral cellist, and chamber musician. From 2008-2013 she was principal cellist of the Discovery Ensemble, while also immersing herself in baroque performance. She currently appears with the major orchestras and chamber ensembles in the Boston area. She has collaborated with the Celebrity Series of Boston and currently has a new duo collaboration with award-winning guitarist Adam Levin. As the Shein-Levin Duo, they have been releasing newly arranged repertoire for cello and guitar, including music by Vivaldi, Schumann, Andrea Casarrubios, among others. They are touring the new repertoire in the 24’-25’ season in Boston, Washington DC, Texas, and more. In fall of 2025, they held a residency at the Shalin-Liu Performance Center. The 2025-2026 season includes new recording projects as well as a new commission by Grammy-nominated composer Andrea Casarrubios. 

Michal received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied with Irene Sharp and graduated with honors. Following her 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, she also studied with Antonio Meneses at the Accademia Chigiana di Siena. Michal received her Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory, studying with Natasha Brofsky and graduating with honors. At NEC, she 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 masterclasses with Anner Bylsma, Anssi Kartunen, Bonnie Hampton, Jean Michel Fontenaeu, Steve Doane, Alexander Bailli, among others.

Michal lives in Jamaica Plain, MA. She has two kids, Noam (11) and Hadas (8).