Hailing from Gilbert, Arizona, cellist Maria Savarese is an avid performer and teacher. Currently, she studies with Dr. Amir Eldan at the University of Michigan and is completing a Master of Music degree. Prior to this, Maria was a fellow for the Tulsa Symphony and studied with Dr. Meredith Blecha-Wells. During this time she regularly performed with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Maria completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona with Dr. Theodore Buchholz. There she was honored to be the Fred Fox School of Music's Outstanding Senior. She also won the String Solo Competition duing her studies at UA. Outside of performance, Maria has a passion for teaching. She is a Registered Suzuki cello teacher and has years of experience teaching for community based music programs such as Harmony Project and String Project. When Maria is not playing or teaching the cello, she can be found hiking, reading, or exploring the nearby culinary scene.

Maria is the recipient of the Rebecca M. and Dr. Alan Kamen Cello Scholarship, The Alfred E. Goldman Scholarship and The Carnahan-Jackson Scholarship Fund.