Valdine Ritchie Mishkin | cello
Canadian cellist Valdine Ritchie Mishkin is a diverse musician, recognized both as a gifted cello teacher of all ages and an avid solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. Equally dedicated to teaching the youngest students in early education as well as training advanced cellists, Dr. Mishkin serves on the faculty at Willamette University and teaches at her home studio in West Linn. Passionate about educating the next generation, Mishkin coaches orchestral repertoire with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Salem Youth Symphonies, judges competitions for regional and national organizations, is a clinician for the Walla Walla Suzuki Institute, and serves on the boards of the Oregon Cello Society and Oregon ASTA.
A seasoned performer of both ensemble and solo repertoire, Mishkin champions contemporary chamber music with Fear No Music, Third Angle, March Modern, and formerly the Blue Box Ensemble. She has been featured live on All-Classical FM Portland’s Club Mod and Thursdays at Three. Valdine serves as a regular substitute cello with the Oregon Symphony, and previously performed with Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, and on period instruments with the Mercury Ensemble. Debuting at age 10 as a soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony, Mishkin has been a featured soloist with the Mercury Ensemble, Chehalem Symphony, Chamber Camp of Portland, McGill Symphony, Winnipeg Youth Symphony, Aurora Chorus, and Portland Boy Choir.
Mishkin holds Doctorate and Masters degrees from Rice University as a student of Lynn Harrell and Norman Fischer, a Bachelor of Music from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) as a student of Antonio Lysy, and holds an Associate Performance Diploma and teaching certificate in both cello and piano from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto as a student of Julie Banton and Ann Lugsdin (Winnipeg). Performing across Canada, United States, and Europe, Mishkin ’s development was shaped by such festivals as Tanglewood, Orford, Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada’s National Music Competition Festival (finalist), and Schleswig-Holstein Orchestra Academy; by masterclasses with Janos Starker, Aldo Parisot, Zara Nelsova, David Finckel, Richard Aaron, the Juilliard Quartet, and Arnold Steinhardt; and under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Larry Rachleff and Timothy Vernon.
