Israeli-Mexican-American cellist Michal Shein is a performer and master educator focused on curating cross-cultural performance projects and intensive educational initiatives. She is the Artistic Director of Cellisimo, a high level cello festival for Spanish speaking cellists with limited resources which includes masterclasses with world-class faculty, wellness sessions and community building. The festival, which is run in Spanish, has been described as "...one of the most important and unique festivals of its kind in Latin America''(- Álvaro Bitrán, cellist of the Grammy award-winning Cuarteto Latinoamericano). 

Michal is recognized for her pedagogical style that nurtures her students with effective pedagogical methods for holistic and high musical advancement. Michal’s cello students have been winners in competitions, and have received admission to top festivals such as BUTI Tanglewood, Brevard, YOLA Festival, Greenwood, NSO, as well as the BEAM program. Currently, she is on faculty at the Boston String Academy (an award-winning El Sistema inspired string program), New England Conservatory, and the University of Rhode Island. 

In addition to her diverse educational work, Michal maintains a career as a soloist, orchestral cellist and chamber musician. From 2008-2013 she was Principal Cellist of the chamber orchestra Discovery Ensemble, while also immersing in baroque playing and appearing with several baroque ensembles. She currently appears with many orchestras and ensembles in the Boston area including the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Portland Symphony, among others. Some highlights of this past season were collaborations with Celebrity Series of Boston, as well as a new recording of arrangement of the Vivaldi sonatas with guitarist Adam Levin, which will be released in early 2024. 

Michal received her B.A. in Music from U.C. Berkeley and Master’s in Music M.A. at New England Conservatory. Michal lives in an intentional cohousing community in Jamaica Plain, with her husband Jonas, an outdoor educator, and her young children Noam and Hadas.