Mihai Tetel, Sursa Distinguished Professor of Cello at Ball State University in Indiana and cellist of the American Piano Trio, began his musical studies in his native Romania at the famed George Enescu Music School. Settling in Canada in 1979, he graduated in 1984 from the University of Toronto as a honors student of the celebrated virtuoso, Vladimir Orloff. His expertise is cello performance and pedagogy. In addition, he performs and records solo and chamber music concerts locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Accomplishments

• Tetel has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Toronto Symphony, Montreal Symphony,  Sao Paulo Symphony (Brazil), Thessaloniki Symphony (Greece), Odeion Wind Ensemble (The Netherlands), Calgary Philharmonic and the Edmonton Symphony, collaborating with conductors such as Andrew Davis and Charles Dutoit.
• Winner of the 1987 Artists International Competition in New York, which awarded him a Carnegie Hall debut the same year.
• He has recorded for RCA - Red Seal, Tristan and Beneficence labels, and has been heard in radio broadcasts on National Public Radio, Indiana Public Radio, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
• He is the director/founder of the ARIA International Summer Academy held at Ball State every summer. The program attracts students from all over the world and features a faculty which represents the major music schools and conservatories in the United States.
• He is artistic director of the Arts Alive Concert Series held in Ball State's Sursa Performance Hall. He brought to Muncie audiences artists such as Midori, Tokyo String Quartet, Beaux Arts Trio, Empire Brass Quintet, Olga Kern, Orion String Quartet and Antonio Pompa-Baldi.

Education

He earned a master's degree from the Juilliard School in 1986, and a professional studies diploma from the Mannes School in New York in 1988. His principal cello teachers have included Lorne Munroe and Timothy Eddy.