Audition Cafe

Introduction

Hailed by San Francisco’s Civic Center for her “…professional and highest caliber of playing,” Los Angeles-based cellist Mikala Schmitz is an avid performer of many different styles of cello playing. Ms. Schmitz often finds herself crossing over into a variety of musical genres. From Americana folk, to classical, jazz, electronic, and baroque, Mikala continues to find new and fascinating collaborative avenues. Mikala’s most recent work with the English rock group The Last Shadow Puppets took her all over Europe, playing for sold-out audiences nationally and internationally. You can also hear her playing on TLSP’s new Dream Synopsis EP, which was released in early December of 2016.

Ms. Schmitz will resume her award-winning tenure this year with Tim Robbins’s acting troupe, The Actors’ Gang, on their production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The 2014-2016 tours made their way through China, Italy, Tennessee, Brazil, France, Spain, South Dakota, Venezuela, Columbia, Turkey, and Romania. Mikala has performed and toured with Tim Robbins and the Rogues Gallery Band, and you can hear also hear her on television shows such as Netflix’s Chef’s Table and HBO’s The Brink.

Ms. Schmitz performs regularly with Bach Collegium San Diego, Agave Baroque, and the Golden State Pops Orchestra. Mikala holds a B.M. degree from Oberlin College Conservatory, where she studied cello with Darrett Adkins as well as baroque cello and viola da gamba with Catharina Meints. Ms. Schmitz also holds a M.M. degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with The Cleveland Orchestra’s assistant principal cellist, Richard Weiss, and played with the Case/CIM Baroque Orchestra and the Case Western Reserve Viol Consort.  Additionally, Ms. Schmitz has participated in numerous music festivals, including Aspen Music Festival and School, the Tanglewood Music Festival for two summers, and most recently this past summer, the American Bach Soloists Festival Academy.