Allison

Allison Yoshie Eldredge, Cellist, Artistic Director & Pedagogue

Allison, an international concert cellist, has been heralded as “a cellist afraid of nothing” by the Chicago Sun Times and was awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant and named “Young Artist of the Year” by Musical America. 

Allison has enjoyed a career performing from London to Moscow to China to Berlin as soloist with orchestras and in recital. She gained international attention performing the Elgar Cello Concerto at the invitation of Music Director, Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1991. 

Allison’s acclaimed recitals have been presented by the Kennedy Center, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the 92nd St. Y in New York City, Royce Hall in Los Angeles, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Casals Hall in Tokyo, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the White House. Allison gained international attention when Music Director, Daniel Barenboim invited her to perform  the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Allison has been invited by the premiere Music Directors of the world including André Previn, Zubin Mehta, Charles Dutoit and Jaap van Sweden from England to Italy to Russia to Japan and the United States. Allison has received acclaim saying that, “She belongs to “the crème de la crème” of cello talents!”(Het Noord Hollands Dagblad Amsterdam)  The San Francisco Chronicle wrote of Eldredge, “she will no doubt figure significantly on the musical landscape in the years to come."

In 1995, Allison made her Carnegie Hall soloist debut with late legendary Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki and the Warsaw Sinfonia to a sold-out audience. She toured the U.S., Europe, and Israel with Penderecki at the baton, performing his Viola Concerto transcribed for cello and orchestra.    The Chicago Tribune lauded that, "Eldredge, who has already wowed Chicago Symphony audiences with her unique artistry, was even more dazzling in her rendition of this one-movement concerto (Penderecki)...the concerto is a tour de force for a cellist who is capable of displaying as wide an aural palette as Eldredge can.”

Allison has toured as soloist with orchestras including the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Royal Philharmonic of London, the Moscow Virtuosi, the Symphonies of Montreal, The Netherlands, St. Louis, New World, China National and the Philharmonic Orchestras of New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Osaka and the Boston Pops.

Allison has released critically-acclaimed solo albums with recording labels Denon Records, Denon Essentials, BMG, Pony Canyon Classics and Arizona University Records. Her performances can be found on Amazon Music and Spotify including, “Concertos of Saint Saens, Lalo, Glazunov and Faure” with the Royal Philharmonic and conductor, Hans Vonk (Canyon Classics) and “Romantic Duets” with Jaap Van Sweden and conductor, Alun Francis (RCA Victor Red Seal). "Eldredge has a soaring sound....and speaks with fluency and passion…Hers is virtuosity wholly at the service of the music” (American Fanfare – American Record Guide)

In the 2023-2024 Season, concerto engagements include performances of Osvaldo Golijov’s Azul - a cello concerto for amplified cello with the Boston Civic Symphony and Francisco Noya, Music Director and Elgar Cello Concerto with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and Music Director, Stuart Malina.

In the 2022-23 season, Allison was appointed the first Artist-in-Residence of the Newton Cultural Alliance (NCA) and The Allen Center in West Newton, Ma. 

Following her appointment, Allison founded Cherry Street Music, a  less-formal concert series with conversation between artists and audience members - celebrating current and past cultures and community for greater unity and diversity through social awareness and music of all genres. “Classical with a Twist” and “Americana” concerts have quickly become a popular community builder in the historic home and school of progressive educator Nathaniel Allen – at The Allen Center. https://newtonculture.org/

Allison has taught the next generation throughout her career including at New England Conservatory Preparatory School since 2000, at Harvard University from 2008-2011 and Boston String Academy since 2020. Cellists from her studio have graduated to top universities and major conservatories nationally and internationally.  Allison has visited more than 100 schools in communities with under-served needs throughout the United States. 

Allison has been Artistic Advisor of the New Philharmonia Orchestra since the 2022-2023 Season and Assistant Conductor of the Me2 Orchestra in the 2023-24 Season. She studied with cellists Harvey Shapiro, Yo-Yo Ma and Eleonore Schoenfeld. She also studied with Felix Galimir, Joan Lunde, Mstislav Rostropovich, Ardyth Alton and Channing Robbins. Allison studied at The Juilliard School. She plays the Samuel Zygmuntowicz “Eldredge” cello 2015. 

website: https://allisoneldredge.com/

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