Carmine Miranda: The Joy of Life as a Cellist

American cellist Carmine Miranda has quickly established an award winning international career and recognition as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist. Praised by many publications such as Fanfare magazine for “fast becoming known for his ability to combine virtuosity with intense, well-thought-out interpretations” and by The Strad magazine for “showing himself to be in full command of both instrument and works,” Carmine’s performances and recordings have appeared in some of the finest concert halls, music festivals, radio and TV stations, as well as PBS affiliated stations all over the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Born in Venezuela to Armenian and Italian immigrants, Carmine began his musical studies at the Latin-American Academy of Violoncello and the Simon Bolivar Conservatory of Music (the institution that spawned the famous “El Sistema”) where he was a member of the National Youth Orchestra and the Orchestra of Beethoven under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel and Giuseppe Sinopoli. In the United States, he continued his musical education obtaining a doctoral degree in cello performance with honors and a chamber music cognate from the University Of Cincinnati.

As an avid soloist, he has performed with several chamber ensembles and orchestras, including: Caracas Municipal Symphony, Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, South Czech Philharmonic, Moravian Philharmonic, among many others. Carmine has also performed in prominent concert halls and music festivals in the United States and around the world including: Carnegie Hall, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Smetana Hall (CZ), Aula Magna Hall (VE), International Český Krumlov Music Festival, Parma Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Close Encounters with Music Series in Great Barrington, NY and many more. Carmine has also collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists such as Yehuda Hanani, Muneko Otani, Awadagin Pratt, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Yuriy Yanko, Mario Košík, Petr Vronský, composer Judith Shatin, Spanish composer Luis Serrano Alarcón, and Grammy-nominated composer Michael Hoppé.

Carmine has participated in several music competitions as a soloist and chamber player winning recognitions and awards at national and international levels, including: Coral Gables Music Club Award for “Best Instrumentalist,” first prize winner of the 2005 Alhambra Music Competition, 2005-2006 National Orchestra Award for “Best Soloist” from the Florida Music Educators Association, winner of the 08-09 University of Cincinnati Cello Competition, Distinguished Award from the 2012 IBLA international competition, “Gold”, “Silver” and “Bronze” Medals from the 2014 Global Music Awards for Best Of Show (GMA’s highest honor), Best Emerging Artist, Best Instrumentalist, “Gold” Medal from the 2016 Global Music Awards, “Silver” Medal from the 2017 Global Music Awards, two Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominations (2015 and 2016), and also a laureate of Fischoff, Concert Artist Guild and Hudson Valley Competitions.

At the age of 23, Carmine recorded the Six Cello Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach under the label Centaur Records and Alfredo Piatti’s 12 Caprices for Solo Cello under the label Navona Records, joining the ranks of the youngest in the world to record these entire works. In 2013, Carmine completed the United States premiere of Nikita Koshkin’s “L’istesso Tempo” composition for cello and guitar and in 2015 completed a world premiere recording of Yves Ramette’s sonata for cello and piano. He was also selected to represent the University of Cincinnati as a soloist for a multi-state American tour with the CCM Wind Orchestra culminating with an opening night performance at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) National Conference in North Carolina’s Aycock Auditorium.

As a Scholar and Academic

Carmine joined the music faculty at Belmont University in 2019 where he teaches cello and chamber music. He is regularly invited to conduct masterclasses as a professor and lecturer at some of the finest institutions and music festivals around the world. In 2016 he wrote a compelling article published in one of the oldest musicological journals in the U.K. (The Musical Times, London, Spring 2016) where he uncovered a code written by Robert Schumann in his Cello Concerto. Likewise, Carmine is the president and founder of the independent electronic music label and production company RLU Records, equally skilled as an electronic and dance music composer, producer and DJ under the pseudonym “45trona Ut”. Currently Carmine Miranda is a Dogal USA artist and plays on a 2005 Jules Azzi cello made in New York City, on Dogal’s Montagnana strings handmade in Venice, Italy.