Michelle Camargo is a multi-instrumentalist with more than 16 years of musical experience, performing in concerts, recitals, and tours across over ten countries in three continents, including Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Peru, among others.
She holds a double Master’s degree in Woodwind Performance & Pedagogy and Arts Administration with a concentration in Music Leadership from Ohio University, Athens, OH. She also earned a Bachelor’s degree in Clarinet Performance from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia.
In 2023, she was invited to New York to join the production The Magical World of the Clarinet, sharing the stage with Paquito D’Rivera, multiple Grammy Award winner. She has also received national and international awards, both as a soloist and as a member of academic and popular music ensembles.
She won first place in the Ohio University Orchestra Solo Competition (USA, 2021) and first place in Colombia’s most important youth competition, Premio a Jóvenes Intérpretes – Chamber music category (Bogotá, 2018 and 2020). She has participated in various national and international festivals and meetings, such as the Festival Portillo (Chile, 2019 – international residency scholarship), Buenos Aires Clarinet Seminar (Argentina, 2018), International Wind Festival (Peru, 2018), and the Nuevo Mundo Festival (Aruba, 2016).
Michelle has distinguished herself through her versatility in interpreting multiple genres, with a particular emphasis on Latin American music. In 2020, she won first place in the II Juan Colón Merengue Saxophone Competition (Bogotá, 2020), the only saxophone competition specializing in the Dominican genre of merengue. She has been invited to perform at Rock al Parque (2013 and 2019), the largest free rock festival in Latin America, as part of the Bogotá-based band The Klaxon. She also performed with the CañaBrava Clarinet Quartet at ClarinetFest (Belgium, 2018), one of the most important clarinet festivals in the world.
She has work as an arts administrator for Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Berklee College of Music’s Five-Week Program.
As a recording artist, Ms. Camargo has music available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Her releases include her 2024 single Cheguei (part of the Faces of Latin America album) and her upcoming EP Mambos con Swing (to be released on September 10, 2025).
Awards and Distinctions
- Graduate Achievement Award in Performance 2023-24, Ohio University - School of Music
- Winner of the Concerto Soloist Competition 2021-22, Ohio University - School of Music
- First Place, Merengue Saxophone Contest Juan Colón, Feminine Category
- Winner, Youth Performer National Competition, Republic Bank of Colombia - Chamber Music Category, 2018, 2019
- Finalist, Orchestra Soloist Competition, Pontifical Xavierian University of Bogota, 2017
International Performing Experience
- Invited soloist with the Ohio University Percussion Ensemble, Edeta Arts International Festival, July 2023, Valencia Spain
- The Magical World of the Clarinet, Invited artist featuring multiple Grammy winner Paquito D’ Rivera, July 2023, New York
- Recital performance, Clarinet Fest, June 2018, Belgium
- International Residency Scholarship Festival Portillo, January 2019, Chile
- Clarinet Seminar, January 2018, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Bogota’s Rock in the Park Festival, September 2018, Bogota Colombia
- Invited Artist, International Winds Festival, September 2018, Peru
- 500 years Commemoration of the Lutheran Reformation-Artist, May 2018, Berlin Germany
- Clarinet player, Nuevo Mundo Festival, June 2016, Aruba
- Bogota’s Rock in the park Festival, September 2012, Bogota Colombia
- Clarinet Festival, UNAM University of Mexico, December 2012, México
- Guest Artist, Victoria Ska Fest, August 2011, Canada