Department of Music

Marta Simidtchieva

Currently the Professor of Cello at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Marta Simidtchieva is a native of Bourgas, Bulgaria where she began the cello at an early age and studied at the Bulgarian State Academy of Music. Upon the completion of her degree she performed with the New Symphony Orchestra in Sofia until her path led her to the United States to continue her studies. She earned her doctorate in 2005 from Florida State University where she was a student of Lubomir Georgiev, a member of the Eppes String Quartet, and principal cellist of with the University Symphony Orchestra with whom she was a soloist several times, most notably performing the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Cellos with vocalist Bobby McFerrin.
 
On the faculty at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville since 2005, Marta has taught cello, chamber music, string methods, and general music courses and is a member of the Musici Piano Trio, formerly the LeClaire Piano Trio. She is a passionate music educator and frequent clinician, presenting regularly at the American String Teacher’s Association conferences. Each year she organizes Cellobration, an event that brings together local students and teachers with a guest artist to perform and celebrate the art of cello playing.
 
Marta has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Illinois Symphony and Orlando Philharmonic, and has been a member of the faculty at the Eastern Music Festival since 2004 where each summer she teaches cello and chamber music, performs in the chamber music series at University of North Carolina Greensboro and at Dana Auditorium Festival series. She also plays in the Festival orchestra under the baton of Maestro Gerard Schwarz. In addition to her orchestral experience, Marta is an advocate for the music of composers from her native Bulgaria and has received several grants for her research. Her album of 20th Century works for cello by Bulgarian Composers entitled Bulgarian Sketches was released in June, 2018 by GEGA NEW records and will be distributed in Europe, Japan and the US.