Cellist Hannah Collins is a dynamic performer who is devoted to diverse forms of musical and multimedia expression. With support from The Presser Foundation, Hannah spent 2009 to 2011 in France and The Netherlands researching and performing contemporary cello repertoire. She has recently commissioned and premiered several unconventional works for solo cello. Hannah is also an active performer of early music, frequently appearing with the Quodlibet Ensemble and Sebastian Chamber Players. She served as the lead continuo player on the 2009 Naxos recording of the Bach and Mendelssohn magnificats with Yale Schola Cantorum, and studied 17th- and 18th-century chamber music with Baroque violinist Robert Mealy as a visiting fellow at the Yale School of Music. Hannah has been invited to perform at festivals throughout Europe and North America, including the Centre d’arts Orford, Kneisel Hall, Santa Fe, Aldeburgh, and Giverny music festivals.

In 2011, Hannah received a master’s degree from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague; she also holds degrees in biomedical engineering and music from Yale University. Her teachers have included Stefan Reuss, Ole Akahoshi, Aldo Parisot, and Michel Strauss. As part of her Academy program, Hannah teaches on Staten Island at IS 61 William A. Morris.