Michael Kaufman
Cello

Cellist Michael Kaufman is an artist who enjoys exploring many facets of classical music.  Solo and chamber music performances have taken him across the United States and Western Europe to festivals such as Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove, Yellow Barn, Music@Menlo and Verbier. His diverse performance projects have included chamber music concerts with Midori, Brett Dean’s 12 Angry Men  in Disney Hall at the Piatigorsky Festival, the premiere of a concerto written by Sean Friar with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and leading as principal cello of La Monnaie in Brussels. Founder and artistic director of Sunset ChamberFest and a founding member of the cello quintet SAKURA, Michael champions eclectic juxtapositions of music from the classical and contemporary canon and is an advocate for guiding and cultivating future generations of composers.  Michael holds a bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music and a master's degree and doctorate from the University of Southern California. He is currently a member of the LA Opera Orchestra and a member of the faculty at Loyola Marymount University and the Colburn School.