Cellist Allison Eldredge is a rare talent who has successfully made the transition from exciting virtuosic prodigy to important, mature artist. Early in her career, she was awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant and named Musical America's “Young Artist of the Year,” and has since received critical acclaim for her technical power and her impassioned performances in the premier concert halls of North America, Europe, Israel, Latin America and the Far East.
Heralded as "a musician of remarkable gifts" by the Chicago Tribune, Ms. Eldredge has performed as soloist with many of the world's great orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Saint Louis Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Boston Pops, New World Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Osaka Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, China National Symphony, Berlin Symphony, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Hague Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. She has performed with such distinguished conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Andre Previn, Charles Dutoit, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Krzysztof Penderecki, Yevgeny Svetlanov, Hans Vonk, Sergiu Commissiona, Keith Lockhart, JoAnn Falletta, Stanislaw Skrowacewski, Eiji Oue, Jorge Mester, Otto-Werner Mueller and Jaap van Zweden.
One of the most versatile artists of her generation, Ms. Eldredge is a veteran soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist. In 2004, she was appointed as the youngest Artistic Director of the Killington Music Festival, a summer music festival now in its 27th year, which provides a podium to gifted young musicians, artists and music lovers to create and to meet through music-making in the picturesque mountains of Vermont. At the Killington Music Festival, Ms. Eldredge shares her interest for promoting young musicians and educating future audiences. She also visits school and music programs around the country each year to promote music education to the youth of America, a passion which has taken her into more than a hundred school programs throughout the U.S.
Highlights of recent seasons include seven recital tours of Japan, appearances as soloist with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, the Osaka Philharmonic, the Puerto Rico Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Lancaster Symphony, the Peoria Symphony, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, a European tour with the Orchestra Sinfonica, performances of the Brahms Double Concerto with violinist Vladimir Spivakov and the Hague Philharmonic and performances of the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Boston Classical Orchestra. Ms. Eldredge has been the featured soloist in numerous orchestral tours including a North American and European tour with the Warsaw Sinfonia under Krzysztof Penderecki; a tour of England with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, including a concert in London at Queen Elizabeth Hall; and four tours of Israel with the Haifa Symphony. She has toured Eastern Europe with the Ukraine State Symphony and 12 cities throughout Europe with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Of special interest was her travel to Russia for performances with the Moscow Virtuosi and Vladimir Spivakov, which culminated in a nationally televised gala concert, at the Moscow Conservatory Grand Hall. In America, her performances have included a special concert in tribute to cellist Pablo Casals at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico and a guest invitation as soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.
Ms. Eldredge's most recent recordings include two CD's on the Denon label: Music by Chopin and Fauré, and If I Loved You, arrangements of Broadway and film music for cello and piano, which were hailed by Fanfare Magazine as "passionate, illuminating and always enchanting." Both these discs, originally released in the Far East, will be distributed in North America in the 09/10 season. Her other recordings include concertos by Lalo and Saint-Saëns with the Royal Philharmonic and Hans Vonk (Pony Canyon Classics); a recital disc with pianist Yoshie Akimoto (Pony Canyon Classics); and Romantic Duet, an album of celebrated opera arias transcribed for violin, cello, and orchestra (BMG) with violinist Jaap Van Zweden; and Eternal Day, an album of devotional songs with singer Ariel Bybee and pianist/arranger David Fletcher. Ms. Eldredge is presently working on a Ballad album from the 30's-50's and an album of Spirituals to be released in the 09/10 season.
Ms. Eldredge's radio and television credits include appearances on New York's WQXR, Boston's WGBH, Japan's NHK-National Television and Radio, ABC's Good Morning America and a performing arts documentary in which she appeared with Isaac Stern and Yo-Yo Ma for Japanese television. Her love of and commitment to the arts in Vermont have made her a frequent live performer on Vermont's Public Radio (VPR). She also has the distinction of being invited to play at the White House.
Ms. Eldredge has shared the stage with numerous acclaimed artists, such as Andre Previn, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gil Shaham. She is a frequent guest artist of music festivals such as Bay Chamber Music Festival, the San Juan Chamber Music Festival and the Killington Music Festival. Other festival appearances include the Ravinia, Caramoor, Casals, Santa Fe, Rockport Chamber, Salt Bay, Britt, Waterloo Festivals, the Colmar Festival in France, the Davos Festival in Switzerland, the Dvorak Festival in Prague, and the Johanessen International Festival in Victoria, BC, among others.
Born in New York City, Ms. Eldredge began her musical training on the piano at age three with her mother, concert pianist Yoshie Akimoto, and made her first public appearance at age six. At nine she began studying the cello and won her first competition within six months. She is now living in the Boston area with her husband, pianist Max Levinson, and their daughters Natalie and Jessica.
Educated at the Juilliard School; cello studies with Harvey Shapiro, Eleonore Schoenfeld, Ardyth Alton, Channing Robbins; chamber music with Felix Galimir and Lewis Kaplan; soloist with major orchestras throughout the world, including New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Pops, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Moscow Virtuosi, Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields; Carnegie Hall debut as soloist with the Warsaw Sinfonia; winner, Avery Fisher Career Grant; cellist in the Boston Trio; chamber music performances with Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, Yo-Yo Ma, Andre Previn; masterclasses given at USC, Boston University, Brigham Young University, University of Kansas. Artistic Director, the Killington Music Festival.
