My Background

Michelle Szamarzewska Wynton began her violin studies at age 5 with Idel Low in Los Angeles, California. As a child, Michelle and her sister were featured on several television programs such as Real People, Hour Magazine and Omnibus, hosted by Princess Grace of Monoco. As a teenager, Michelle studied with Robert Lipsett through the USC School of Performing Arts, where she won a half scholarship. She also studied with Michelle Bovyer, a first violinist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic. During this time, she won several competitions and performed concerti with Pasadena Community Orchestra and Pasadena Young Musician's Orchestra. After graduating from high school and before entering studies at the University of California at Berkeley, Michelle studied with Tadeus Kochanski at the Gdansk Conservatory of Music, Poland.  Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at UC Berkeley while continuing her musical studies with Serban Rusu. At this time she also studied with William Barbini (New York Philharmonic and Concertmaster of Sacramento Symphony), Yukiko Kamei (San Francisco Symphony), Philip Levy (Stanford University), Barbara Riccardi (SF Opera) and Mariko Smiley (SF Symphony). In July 1995, Michelle received a full tuition scholarship to study with Glen Dicterow at Manhattan School of Music. She continued these studies in Chicago with Emira Darvarova (Assistant Concertmaster, Metropolitan Opera and Concertmaster Emeritus, Grant Park Symphony), Albert Igolnikov (Assistant Principal Second Violin, CSO) and David Taylor (Assistant Concertmaster, Chicago Symphony and was again awarded with a full tuition scholarship, this time to attend Roosevelt University, where she studied with Joe Golan (Principal Second Violin Emeritus, Chicago Symphony)  and Robert Chen, (Concertmaster, Chicago Symphony) She later returned to school with a scholarship and earned a Masters of Violin studying with Ilya Kaler at DePaul University. Michelle was a faculty member at the Music Institute of Chicago from 1996-2006 and her competition prizes include  PremioSpeciale“GiovanniCiuffreda” in the XII Concorso Nationale “Riviera della Versilia” (2003),1 Concorso Internazionale Di Esecuzione Musicale “Citta Di Padova 2nd Prize (2003). Michelle has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, Ars Viva, Master Singers, Lake Forest Symphony, Northwest Indiana Symphony, Elgin Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Rockford Symphony, South Bend Symphony,  Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Peoria Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, Illinois Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Orchestra Iowa, New York City Opera, Westchester Symphony, West Palm Beach Opera Company, Binghamton Symphony, Staten Island Philharmonic,  Binghamton Symphony, Sacramento Symphony, Fresno Symphony, Monterey County Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Vallejo Symphony, Napa Valley Symphony and Berkeley Symphony.