Natively from Paris, Velléda C. Pelpel-Miragias was admitted at Paris Conservatoire régional Supérieur-CNR- at 14 in cello performance, and graduated in Solfege with first prize 1st of class 2 years later. She then became a student of Xavier Gagnepain and Hortense Cartier-Bresson at Conservatoire National de Region de Boulogne and won first prizes in both cello and chamber music with unanimous decision of jury.
Velléda graduated from Indiana University, in the US with a performance diploma, where she studied with Iseut Chuat and Janos Starker, and then obtained her Master’s of Music at Boston University, MA.She received the ministry of culture awards from France, and a full tuition from Boston University.
She won the international “prix de la ville d’Epernayâ€, in France, 1997.
Velléda also worked with Michel Strauss, Philippe Muller, Sonia Wieder-Atherton, Gary Hoffman, Rostislav Dubinsky (Borodin Quartet) and Raphaël Hillyer (viola from Julliard Quartet for 25 years).
She participated in Master Classes with Anner Bylsma, Isaac Stern, Georgy Sebök.Velléda performed the Haydn concerto in D as a soloist with Lourmarin Youth Symphony Orchestra in 1996.
She was invited to perform in Germany, as solo and Chamber player in 1996.
Velléda has collaborated with musicians such as Renaud Capucon, Jiang Wang;
she was invited at the “Cello International Festivalâ€, in Beauvais, France, with Janos Starker in a cello octet in 1998, and was selected to perform in “Académie Européenne de Musique », in the Aix-en-Provence festival in 1999, under David Stern conductor, where she performed as Chamber and Orchestra player.
She played in Greater Boston Symphony, conducted by Jacques Zoon (BSO principal flute), in collaboration with Malcolm Lowe (BSO Concertmaster), Steven Ansell (principal viola, BSO) and Iseut Chuat (cello) in 2000.She is an active musician in the Greater Boston area, playing with the Boston Ballet, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Indian Hill Symphony and other local orchestras. She currently performs as a chamber player with pianist Mika Tanaka.
Velléda is one of the coaches for the BYSO (Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra) and she conducts the Belmont Waldorf High School orchestra since 2005.Velléda also co-founded Artisan Music Studios (www.artisanmusic.com) with her husband Gus.Velléda plays a modern cello made for her by Germain Trumpf in France, in 1996.
