BIANCA D’AVILA DO PRADO, CELLO

Brazilian cellist and pedagogue Bianca d’Avila do Prado is member of the cello faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago and an online instructor for the University of Idaho Preparatory Division. At MIC she teaches Suzuki and Traditional cello and works with the Third Coast Suzuki Strings outreach program students.

Prado holds a Master of Music in Cello Performance and String Pedagogy degree from Illinois State University. She was principal cellist at the ISU Symphony Orchestra and North Idaho Philarmonia and has been playing as a guest cellist with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. As a member of Camerata Ontoarte, she recorded six CDs and performed concerts in Brazil, Italy, and Russia. She was also part of the Theatro São Pedro Chamber Orchestra and Quatricelli Cello Quartet.

Prado has been working on making Brazilian music for strings more accessible to students in the US. She had her articles "Teaching Diversity: Four Brazilian Pieces for String Orchestra" published in the Scroll Magazine and "Viajando Pelo Brasil I, Suite for Strings: A Fun way to Explore the Richness of Brazilian Culture and Music” in the American String Teacher Magazine. Her composition “Brazilian Habanera” was one of the five pieces selected to be part of the Beginning Level Volumes of the Celebrating Diversity in String Music Anthology. She is also one of the composers commissioned by the Cello Teaching Repertoire Consortium this year and is writing a cello solo suite for intermediate students.

Her article "Setting Habits for Success: How Being a Suzuki Student Can Transform Your Child’s Brain" was published in the American Suzuki Journal.