Masterclass with Rainer Eudeikis

Special Event in partnership with The Boulder Philharmonic

Photos from the masterclass with Rainer Eudeikis

The Colorado Cello Summit

Next Summit will be FEBRUARY 28, 2026
King Center, Metro State University of Denver Campus
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Featuring

Colorado Composer Dylan Fixmor And a special cello ensemble arrangement of his Electric Cello Concerto featuring soloist, Becky Kutz Osterberg

Colorado State University Cello Professor,
Meredith Blecha-Wells.

Get your cello setup checked out by Luthier Derek McDonald

Online Silent Auction with awesome Cello Related Items from our Generous Supporters

Large Cello Ensemble playing

With Vendors Denver Violins and Luther Strings

Masterclass 2026

Our special guest Masterclass Teacher in 2026 is Colorado State University cello professor Meredith Blecha-Wells.

Praised for her “beautifully full and lyrically strong tone” by Gramophone Magazine, Meredith Blecha-Wells is a sought-after performer and instructor. She has played throughout much of the United States, as well as Europe, South America, Australia, and Asia. Currently based in Colorado, Dr. Blecha-Wells serves on the faculty at Colorado State University.

As a recording artist, Dr. Blecha-Wells has released several CDs spanning the solo, chamber music, and orchestral space. Her solo album was described as “technically dazzling” (the Whole Note) and she was praised for her “lyrical warmth and her powerful athleticism” (Classical Music Discoveries). Dr. Blecha-Wells' recordings can be found on labels including Naxos, Navona, and Onyx Lane Productions and broadcast on numerous radio stations such as WFMT (Chicago, IL), WMBR (Cambridge, MA), KALX (Berkley, CA), WRUV (Burlington, VT), WCNY (Syracuse, NY), KUCO (Edmond, OK), among others.

Dr. Blecha-Wells previously served as the Professor of Cello at Oklahoma State University where she was awarded the College of Arts and Sciences Junior Faculty Award for Scholarly Excellence as well as the First Lady of OSU Distinguished Music Professor award. A passionate pedagogue, Dr. Blecha-Wells is committed to raising the efficiency and joy in learning. Her students have gone on to study at programs such as the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory, the Eastman School of Music, Rice University, the University of Michigan, the Manhattan School of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory, Northwestern University, Indiana

University, among others. Additionally, her students have won several competitions including the YoungArts National Awards, the Classics Alive Artists, Enkor International Competition, American Protégé Competition, Ad Astra String Competition, MTNA, Hyechka String Competition, among others.

Dr. Blecha-Wells has taught at numerous festivals, clinics, and institutes spanning six continents. She has had the pleasure of teaching at the International Cello Institute, the Alaska Cello Intensive, Gran Encuentro Chelistas in Colombia, the Saarburg Chamber Music Festival in Germany, the Chicago Suzuki Institute, the Austin Suzuki Institute, among others. She has given numerous clinics and was the featured cello clinician at the 2024 American String Teachers Association Conference.

Dr. Blecha-Wells received a bachelor's and master's degree in Cello Performance from Indiana University and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music. Her teachers have included Janos Starker, Alan Harris, Emilio Colon, Helga Winold, Richard Hirschl, and Marc Johnson. Additional studies include festival participation at the Taos School of Music, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

Sign Up Below

All participants of the Colorado Cello Summit are eligible to submit an application.
Selected participants must be registered to attend the Colorado Cello Summit to be eligible to perform.
All Applications must be received on or before January 30, 2026
Completing the registration form does not guarantee participation in masterclass, as participation is determined by successful audition only. There is no additional fee to apply to participate in the masterclass.

2026 Artists

Dylan Fixmer

Colorado based composer, musician, educator and scholar Dylan Fixmer (b. 1987), is a genuine and passionate artist whose works in a variety of genres reflect his diverse music career which includes his residency with the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, works published by RWS Music Company and commissions nationally and abroad. Fixmer’s music is inspired by the beauty of nature and the human spirit, and draws upon a multitude of musical styles and traditions culminating in projects centered on portraying the varieties of human experience.

Recent works include commissions and premieres from the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture, Javier Vinasco, Opera Guanajuato, the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Becky Kutz Osterberg, the Front Range Chamber Players, the Crested Butte Music Festival, The Burroughs, Towards a Shinning Light, Old Machines Duo, UCHealth and the

University of Northern Colorado Faculty Recital Series. Fixmer is currently the Composer in Residence for the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra who premiered his Concerto for Violin: In Memory of Terri Sternberg with violinist Sarah Off, “which received a rapturous reception when it was performed” (The Times of London) on September 24, 2022. Previous residencies include the Mt. Blanca Fine Arts Association and the North Fork Community Chorus. As a multi-faceted and imaginative composer, Fixmer writes for multifarious contexts from orchestral and traditional solo and ensemble work, to theater, choir, film, and narrative including the soundtrack for the audio book “Adventures of a Mystic Warrior” by Robert Rocco D’Ordine, and author Craig Child’s multi-media production “Dark Night”. Fixmer’s Four Portraits for Strings was selected as Editor’s Choice by J.W. Pepper in 2023 and his music has been featured on Colorado Public Radio Denver and CPR Classical, Radio Classique - Paris, The Times of London, Le Figaro - Paris, KAFM-Grand Junction, Rifle Community Television, KVNF-Paonia, KDNK-Carbondale, KAFK - Greeley, and on albums by Javier Vinasco, Sarah Off, The Embodying Rhythm Marimba Ensemble, Paul Elwood and Alice Simmons, The Scones, Sarah Louise Pipelow, The Mollie Scholars, and many more.

An active and dynamic performing artist, Fixmer performed with the Embodying Rhythm Marimba Ensemble, and “Traditionish”, in addition to various solo and ensemble performances. He has appeared with artists from Glen Valez and Loire Cotler to Blackie O’Connell and Cyril Cyril O Donoghue to Gao Hong, and in performance venues from the Montrose Pavilion and Boettcher Hall to The IBar Ranch, Blue Sage Theater, Rob Miller’s “Pickin in the Park”, The New Ute Event Center, and Paradise Theater. He has recorded numerous albums including Embodying Rhythm Marimba Ensemble’s “Music for Everyday Life”, Traditionish “Traditionish”.

Becky Kutz Osterberg

Becky Kutz Osterberg is a versatile freelance musician performing both acoustic and electric cello. She serves as Principal for the Fort Collins Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic, and Steamboat Symphony Orchestra, and as Assistant Principal for the Cheyenne Symphony. Other orchestra and opera ensemble performances include Boulder Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Opera Colorado, Colorado Bach Ensemble, Larimer Chorale and Laudamus Chorale.

Mrs. Kutz Osterberg received her Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Southern California as a student of Ron Leonard, retired Principal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and her Master of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Akron, Ohio where she studied with Michael Haber and Richard Weiss. Additionally, she studied Orchestral Excerpts and post graduate work with Daniel Rothmuller, retired Associate Principal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Beyond her classical experiences, Mrs. Kutz Osterberg has performed with a wide variety of artists including Josh Groban, Guns and Roses, Sarah McLachlan, Mannheim Steamroller, Kaleo, Frank Sinatra Junior, Ten Tenors, Sarah Brightman, Wu-Tang Clan, and a 60-city national tour with John Tesh. She has recorded for independent studio producers in both Colorado and California. Mrs. Kutz Osterberg is a founding member of

Synesthesia, an eclectic mix of Flute, Clarinet, Electric Cello, and Ukulele playing a wide variety of musical styles including Pop, Celtic, Klezmer and Classical.

Her instructional experience includes teaching and ensemble coaching for more than 30 years. Mrs. Kutz Osterberg has an established private cello studio in Fort Collins and in Steamboat Springs. She has coached cello and chamber music at various summer festivals including Western State in Gunnison, CSU in Fort Collins, Omaha Conservatory and Arrowbear Music Camp in Southern California.

Mrs. Kutz Osterberg’s Acoustic Cello was made in 1785 in Salisbury, England by Benjamin Banks. Her Electric Cello is a Yamaha SVC-110SK.

Derek McDonald

Derek McDonald is a luthier that resides in Boulder, CO and has been servicing the student and professional string community in the Front Range for over a decade. Derek specializes in repair and restoration of all violin family instruments and specifically focuses on the importance of set-up, playability, and quality of sound, bringing each instrument to their full potential. Derek is not only a luthier, but also a professional musician who performs in many of the professional orchestras in the area including the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, Boulder Chamber Orchestra, and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, among others, and understands the importance of a well-playing and incredible sounding instrument, how it helps achieve a higher level of musicianship and enjoyment to the player, and elevating the overall experience of performing.

Derek works from his workshop in his home that he shares with his two beautiful daughters, his fiancée, and his best shop assistant Mini (his sleepy and very lovable dog).

About

Board Members

Founded in 2018, the Colorado Cello Summit is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that in partnership with Metro State University of Denver holds a yearly event that brings Colorado cellists together to connect, play and celebrate the cello. Past presenters and facilitators at the Summit have included: Daniel Rothmuller, David Requiro, Alice Yoo, Matt Zalkind, András Fejér, Dr. Charles Lee, Doug Moore, Evan Orman, Rich Slavich, Gil Selinger, Margaret Romney, David Rutherford, Christopher Dungey, and Deborah Miles.

In addition to the yearly event, the Colorado Cello Summit strive's to help build and foster the cello playing community in Colorado by providing a strong online presence where performers, students and teachers can go to learn about cello related events, cello teachers in the area, performance opportunities and upcoming concerts in the area.

Chair

Becky Kutz Osterberg

Secretary

Peter Linder

Treasurer

Adam Riggs

Members

Charles Lee

Trevor Minton

Erin Patterson

STAFF

Artistic Director - Adam Riggs