Hailing from Detroit, cellist Megan Chartier is “unafraid to display gutsy abandon,” as described by the South Florida Classical Review.  She has performed throughout North America and Europe as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral cellist. Her current positions include core cellist of the Astralis Chamber Ensemble and Principal Cellist of Opera San Luis Obispo in California. In recent seasons, she has served as Principal Cellist of the Miami Symphony Orchestra and Principal Cellist of the Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy in Vancouver, and has also recently performed with orchestras including the San Antonio Symphony, One Found Sound in San Francisco, Nu Deco Ensemble, and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, she was named a semi-finalist in the 2017 PRISMA Concerto Competition, 1st prize winner of the Ann Arbor Society of Musical Arts’ 2015 Young Artist Competition, and a winner of the 2015 Miami Music Festival Concerto Competition, conducted by Grzegorz Nowak of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Megan is an active chamber musician recently appointed by the Astralis Chamber Ensemble, an ensemble most frequently touring around the United States.  She is a founding member of Miami-based string trio, the Wynwood trio.   Megan’s other notable chamber collaborations have included multiple performances with the Amernet String Quartet, Andrés Cárdenes, Gary Levinson, Yuriy Bekker, and work with Frank Almond, Brian Thornton, Christopher Adkins, Yegor Dyachkov, and Yizhak Schotten.  Megan has studied with renowned teacher Marion Feldman at the Intensive Quartet Program at NYU, in addition to regular study with Dr. Howard Cass, Kathryn Votapek, Andrew Jennings, Katherine Collier, and Christopher Harding. 

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She has performed on stage with Plácido Domingo, Carter Brey, Andres Cardenes, and Audra McDonald as well as on tour with nationally recognized artists including Michael Bublé, Il Volo, and the Trans Siberian Orchestra. She has also worked with contemporary composers such as multiple Grammy winners Michael Daugherty and Rudy Perez, as well as Matthew Bridgeham, Jung Yoon Wie, and Emmanuel Berrido during the composition and/or premiere performances of their works.

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Megan is currently coached by Brian Thornton of the Cleveland Orchestra.  Her private teachers have included Anthony Elliott, Dr. Diane Winder, Dr. Robert K. Reed, and Irina Tikhonova.  Megan also studied for several years with Derek Weller on double bass.  She has performed in masterclasses for artists including Blaise, Dejardin, Robert deMaine, Yegor Dyachkov, Martin Katz, Tony Rymer, Kurt Baldwin, Kyung Sun Lee, and the Shanghai Quartet.

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Ms. Chartier holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Eastern Michigan University and a Master of Music in Performance from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.

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Megan enjoys supplementing her musical craft with visual art, integrating both passions through her art persona "Inkermezzo." She creates mostly musical illustrations focusing on music education, awareness, and activism through anatomical and portraiture work. In 2021, the Inkermezzo brand has expanded into graphic design for publishing initiatives (SOLA), web design, and logo design. To view and read more about her work, please visit www.inkermezzo.com.