

Cellist Amelia Baisden is thirteen years old and lives in Washington, DC. She studies with Dr. Daniel Levitov at Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore, Maryland where she is also a member of the Performance Academy for Strings and Peabody Youth Orchestra. She has held principal positions for the past six years within various regional youth orchestras and ensembles, including the Peabody Youth Orchestra, American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras, and DC Youth Orchestra Program. She is a Solo Performance Member of Friday Morning Music Club. Amelia has won many solo competitions, was awarded “Most Promising Talent” in Amit Peled’s Inaugural Mount Vernon Virtuosi Online Cello Competition and Judges’ Distinction Award in 2021 American Protégé International Concerto Competition; and performed as a soloist with the Accord Symphony Orchestra, at Carnegie Hall, and by invitation from the U.S. Department of Education at the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery. As a state winner, she represented District of Columbia as the Eastern Division finalist of the 2023-2024 MTNA Junior Performance Competition. Amelia has participated in solo masterclasses led by Anna Clift, Amir Eldan, David Finckel, Christopher Hutton, Eric Kutz, Thomas Mesa, Hai-Ye Ni, Hannah Roberts, Alan Stepansky, and chamber music masterclasses with Laurence Dutton, Bella Hristova, Gilbert Kalish, Robin Scott, and Philip Setzer. She has participated in the Heifetz International Music Festival and Music@Menlo’s Young Performers Program and is excited to be returning to Menlo again this year.