Ashley Bathgate
cello

American cellist Ashley Bathgate was born in 1985 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and began cello studies at the age of 12. As a recitalist and chamber musician, she has appeared at the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival, Barge Music, Windham Chamber Music Festival, the Pleshakov Music Center and the Moulin dAnde in Normandy, France to name a few. Her 2008 New York Debut in Carnegies Weill Hall with noted pianist Todd Crow was well received by audience and critics alike. Ashley was also a featured artist on WMHT FM and on WQXR FMs Young Artist Showcase, hosted by Robert Sherman. She has been invited frequently to perform as a guest soloist with orchestra, including appearances with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, the Windham Chamber Players and in performances of the dAlbert and Barber cello concertos with the American Symphony Orchestra, directed by Leon Botstein. Recent guest appearances include Elgar's Cello Concerto with the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra and Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Yale Philharmonia.

Devoted to chamber music, Ashley performs regularly in benefit concerts and chamber recitals throughout the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. She has been privileged to work with many distinguished artists including pianist, Pascal Rog and violinist Chantal Juillet. In addition, Ashley has relished the opportunity to perform new and recent works, most notably of renowned composers John Adams, Martin Bresnick, Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon and David Lang. Now a member of the renowned Bang on a Can All-Stars, she continues to champion contemporary music throughout the world.

Ashley was a full scholarship student at Bard College, where she studied cello with Luis Garcia-Rnart and composition with Joan Tower. Having received her Masters degree in 2007 from the Yale University School of Music, she was selected for the prestigious Artist Diploma program by her teacher Aldo Parisot, and in that same year received the Prize in his name for the gifted cellist most showing promise for a concert career. While at the Yale University School of Music, studies included composition with Ezra Laderman and chamber music with Claude Frank, Boris Berman, Peter Frankl, Ani Kavafian and the Tokyo String Quartet. She was also a member of the internationally acclaimed ensemble, the Yale Cellos, directed by Aldo Parisot. Among her many awards are a grant from the New York Philharmonic Players Fund sponsored by Stephen and Elaine Stamas, top prizes in the Lois Lyman concerto competition (99 & 01, an unprecedented achievement), the Hugo Kauder Memorial Strings competition in 2006 and the 2008 Yale University School of Music Woolsey Hall concerto competition. Most recently, Ashleys newly formed Lorien Trio received the Bronze Medal at the 2009 Fischoff National Chamber Music competiton.

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