http://www.rebeccahartka.com

A nationally recognized cellist, Rebecca Hartka's playing has been described as virtuosic and passionate. Martha Dorrill of the Farmville Herald remarked that "Rebecca Hartka made the Brahms melodies heart rending" . In May 2009, Hartka made her international solo debut with the Saint-Saens cello concerto in Vietnam and Thailand, on a three week tour of Southeast Asia, also performing recitals in such venues as the American embassy in Hanoi. According to a local Hanoi paper "...Her performance was no less than magical and eloquent,".

In 2009 Hartka appeared as a solo recitalist in the Exploring the Arts series, the 88 Keys series, and the Jazz and More series, in addition to solo and chamber music tours across New England and Montana. In May 2008 she appeared as soloist with the Montana State University Symphony Orchestra, and on several concert series. As well, she was a featured soloist for the Project Guggenheim's "the Art of Compassion in a Time of War" and the 1999 Spiral Dance Festival in San Francisco. A recipient of the 1993 Henriette Reiss Award, and elected member of Phi Kappa Lambda, the National Music Honors Society, Hartka has also appeared as a chamber musician in the Newton Free Library series, the SAPAS performing arts seris, and in prestigious venues such as the Boston Athenaeum, the Boston Center for the Arts, the Lenox Atheneum and the Brevard Music Center. She is the Assistant Principal for the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Cello at Montana State University.

A versatile performer, Hartka has worked with numerous ensembles large and small. She is one of the founding members of the Phoenix Trio, which gives regular concert tours throughout the country. The Trio was also a recipient of a 2005 Brookline Tercentennial Fund Grant and participated as a full fellow in the Brevard Advanced Chamber Music Festival in 2004. Hartka has been featured as a guest artist in a concert tour with the Meritage Quartet and has also peformed with Serenata Chamber Players, Boston College Contemporary Music Ensemble, Hyperprism, the Fringe Festival, Cape Ann Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Helena Symphony and the Intermountain Opera Company.

As a four year recipient of the Deans Scholar Award, Hartka completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Cello performance at Boston University College of Fine Arts (BU CFA) in May 2007. As a Doctoral student she acted on numerous occasions as principal cellist of the Chamber, Opera and Symphony Orchestras. Hartka has also attended numerous chamber festivals including the Oberlin in Cassalmaggiore Chamber music festival in Italy, the Lydian String Quartet Chamber Music Workshop, the Music from Salem Chamber Music Festival, and the Hampden-Sydney Chamber Music Festival.

As a crossover performer Hartka has appeared with Jenna Nichols in venues such as the Rockwood music club in New York and Club Passim in Cambridge MA. She has attended the String Fling at the Berklee school, working on improvisation techniques with Darol Anger of the Turtle Island String Quartet as well as Eugene Freisen of the Paul Winter Consort. She has also had private lessons in Celtic Music and is currently studying Baroque Cello. She has performed Baroque cello with violinist Carrie Krause of Apollo's Fire, as well as attending the International Baroque Institute at Longy.

As an Adjunct Assistant Professor or Cello at Montana State University, Hartka teaches private cello, directs the cello ensemble, coaches chamber music and teaches classes in String Techniques and Pedagogy. Hartka completed a Masters in Music at BU CFA, and a Bachelor of Arts in Cello Performance at the Oberlin Conservatory and College. In 2003 she was the string department teaching assistant at Boston University College of Fine Arts, giving lessons to performance majors in violin, viola or cello. Hartka taught private lessons at the All Newton Music School in MA from 2001-07. She also served on the committee for the Henriette Reiss Award from 2002-07. Hartka's teachers have included Leslie Parnas, Michael Reynolds, Rhonda Rider, Clive Greensmith, Andor Toth, Peter Rejto, Douglas Moore and Justin Kagan.