Meg Risso developed as a cellist in the Seattle classical music world. She played cello in each of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras, attended Marrowstone Music Festival and Kinhaven Music School, studied with Ray Davis, David Tonkonogui, and Fay Chi, and taught cello lessons for younger students when her teachers were out of town. Once at Oberlin, she majored in music performance, played with the Oberlin Orchestra, studied with Hans Jensen, Peter Rejto and Frances Marie Uitti, and taught cello lessons to young cellists from the local elementary school. After moving to Chicago, she played for and often coached the Oakley Street Cello Ensemble, a mixed level group of thirteen adult cellists that performed around Chicago. Meg moved back to Seattle in 2010 to play with various chamber groups and coach cello sectionals for the Seattle Youth Symphony orchestras and school orchestras. Meg had a thriving studio in Seattle through the Suzuki Institute of Seattle and out of her home studio. Over the course of five years, she trained with master teacher, Rick Mooney, for all ten Suzuki Cello Method books. She taught in Nashville with Music City Strings from 2019-2021 but is now back in Seattle and accepting adult students and students as young as 5. If you’re interested in lessons, please specify preferred days of the week, lesson times, and your preferred location – Music Center of the Northwest or at her home studio in Crown Hill.
Beyond being a cellist, Meg has been a dedicated educator for over a decade. She tutored math and reading skills to elementary school children all four years at Oberlin and became an outdoor educator with Nature’s Classroom in Charlton, Massachusetts after college. Since the summer of 2003, she has worked at a variety of summer camps, including Kinhaven Music School (Weston, VT), Camp Dark Waters (Medford, NJ), and SYSO Summer Music. Fostering confidence through education has been the driving force and focus of Meg’s life.
Orchestras:
Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra
Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra
Saratoga Chamber Orchestra
Seattle Collaborative Orchestra
Seattle Rock Orchestra
Coaching Experiences:
Symphonette and Prelude Orchestra Cello Sectionals (the two youngest orchestras of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras) 2011-2019
SYSO Summer Music (formerly Marrowstone in the City) 2012-2019
Bothell High School Cello and Bass Sections
Roosevelt High School Cello Sections
Lake Washington High School Honor Orchestra Cello Section
Snohomish King County Solo & Ensemble Adjudicator
Recordings:
Steve Treseler (featuring Ingrid Jensen) on Center Song (multiple tracks)
The Local Strangers’ Letter to My Lover