Rex Colin Mitchell was raised on his parents’ cattle ranch in the West Desert of Utah. Thanks to the tenacity and sacrifice of his parents, he was able to travel to the Wasatch Front to take lessons through his teenage years, which eventually led him to attend Utah State University for a Bachelor’s degree in cello performance. While there, he studied with Anne Francis Bayless and developed his love for chamber music with her and the other members of the Fry Street Quartet.
After graduating, he took his wife and daughter to Tucson, Arizona, where he earned his Master’s degree at the University of Arizona. He served as principal cello in the Arizona Symphony Orchestra, and was a staple of the chamber music program there. As a member of the U of A Baroque Ensemble, he studied historical performance in Daroca, Spain, with baroque cellist Gaetano Nasillo, and also performed at the Festival Alfonso Ortiz Tirado in Alamos, Mexico. He has recently moved back to Utah, this time with his wife, daughter, and new son!
He is a trained Suzuki teacher, studying with renowned teachers Carey Cheney and David Evenchick. This included a long-term training with Carey Cheney, in which he was able to follow the progress of students over the span of many months. This was incredibly useful in his development as a teacher. Colin teaches from his home in Utah Valley as well as at the Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City, a music school with a Suzuki program as well as a high-level conservatory program.
Colin was a lead teacher at the U of A String Project, taught at the nonprofit Tucson Symphony Women’s Association, is a regular teacher at the Tucson Cello Congress, and maintained a private cello studio in Logan as well as Tucson. He remains involved in the Suzuki community, and is currently on the board of the Suzuki Association of Utah. Other than music, his passions include good books, spending time on his parents’ ranch, and, above all, food!