Ingrid Tihtcheva, cello

Born to a Cuban singer and Bulgarian cellist, Ingrid began playing cello under the watchful eye of her dad. While living in Mexico, she was a student of Bozena Slawinska and Alan Durbeq at the Vida y Movimiento School of Music. Ingrid attended Master Classes with Stefan Popov, Yo-Yo Ma, Alan Smith and Wolfgang Boettcher. In 1990, she attended The Meadowmount School of Music in NY studying with Tanya Carey. Soon after, she was awarded a Full Scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi where she graduated with honors, earning a degree in Music Performance under the guidance of Rebekah Stark and Paul York.

During her time in Mississippi, Ingrid performed widely as a member of the Gulf Coast Symphony, The Meridian Symphony, The Pensacola Symphony and played under personalities like Itzhak Perlman, Leslie Parnas, Doc Severinsen, Ellis Marsalis, Natalie Cole, Rod Stewart and premiered a piece by Samuel Adler at The Lincoln Center in NY with the USM Symphony Orchestra. In 1998 Ingrid came to Milwaukee to pursue her Masters degree at The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee studying with Wolfgang Laufer and The Fine Arts Quartet. Other artists she has accompanied include Maxim Vengerov, Josh Groban, Melissa Manchester, Charlotte Church and Three Dog Night. Ingrid has now made Milwaukee her home, and stays very active playing with The Green Bay, Festival City, Waukesha and Racine Symphony Orchestras. She loves teaching and keeps a successful private cello studio.