This month’s featured artist is the wonderful performer, educator and violist, Miranda Sielaff. Miranda and I go way back to when we used to teach music up in Westchester county back in our early days in New York City. Miranda and I have shared countless meals together over the past decade or so and I’m not sure what her favorite dish is but I think she does enjoy the oven fried chicken that I make for my annual Memorial weekend picnic. Miranda is pretty handy in the kitchen and I always enjoy her cooking every 4th of July and birthday celebrations.

Since 2001 while completing her Masters in performance at Juliliard, Miranda has performed with renown artists from all over the world and is a part of some incredible ensembles such as the self-directed orchestra, The Knights, The Caravel Trio with cellist, Jane Cords-O’Hare and violinist, Kristi Helberg, and is a regular performer in ensembles such as the String Orchestra Of New York (SONYC), the composition collective ensemble, Wet Ink and recently with Ensemble Pamplemousse. Miranda regularly participates in Concerts in the Heights which is a concert series held in Washington Heights, NYC.

Miranda is a dedicated teacher of viola and violin and she is amazing at teaching little children. She teaches in Manhattan at School for Strings, the Diller Quaile School of Music and has her own private studio in Brooklyn.

You can hear Miranda next month with The Knights at Roulette on September 18 at 8:00pm. This is a special concert to check out because it will be the first from a series of self-presented concerts from The Knights. The Knights have never done a NYC concert series before so this is hopefully the beginning of great things to come.

Miranda is a generous, thoughtful and kind spirit and I have had the honor of performing with her in a duo setting, which was one of my performing highlights in NYC. Miranda’s sensitive and emotional playing creates a wonderful environment for her fellow musicians to have a deep musical interactive experience as well as audiences being uplifted by the beauty of her playing.

Take the opportunity to go hear The Knights or see Miranda perform with her trio. It will not disappoint.