Recognized by San Francisco’s Civic Center for her “…professional and highest caliber of playing,” Mikala is a Los Angeles-based cellist and private music lessons teacher. She’s an avid performer and teacher of many different styles of cello playing. In fact, Mikala often finds herself crossing over into a variety of musical genres, from Americana folk, to classical, jazz, electronic, and baroque. The collaborative interplay of those sounds fascinates her!

In addition to teaching, Mikala performs and collaborates regularly with musicians and composers in the Los Angeles area. She has toured all over the US, Europe, and in China and Brazil, playing for sold-out audiences. Mikala has performed and toured with Tim Robbins and the Rogues Gallery Band. You can also hear her playing on the soundtrack for television shows like Netflix’s Chef’s Table and HBO’s The Brink! She additionally is the co-recipient of an Ovations Honor Award in the Composition for a Play category.

Mikala holds a B.M. degree from Oberlin College Conservatory and an M.M. degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has participated in numerous music festivals, including Encore School for Strings, Aspen Music Festival and School, the Tanglewood Music Festival, and the American Bach Soloists Festival Academy.
Mikala has a passion for music and believes that everyone should have access to it. For this reason, she loves teaching! Mikala tailors her lessons to her students’ goals and desires. She incorporates musical and life lessons, such as focus, planning, confidence-building, and social interaction. She aims to make every lesson both fun and informative because she wants her students to grow in their musicianship and in their love for playing.