About
For an orchestra musician, my background is not "typical." Raised on a farm, I found my way to some of the world's best schools and teachers. Then I managed to win jobs in Spokane, Ann Arbor, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Symphony before landing at the Los Angeles Philharmonic alongside my wife Stacy, a member of the first violin section.
To get here, I spent decades demystifying and decoding how to play the viola, and I love sharing that knowledge with my students, helping them succeed faster and better than I ever did.
I’ve taught at the Colburn School, UCLA, and USC’s Thornton School, but my online courses are my favorite because I can gather like-minded people in pursuit of a goal. I work with students to achieve profound transformations that they didn’t think were possible. I unlock potential by giving students the mental, emotional, and physical tools they need to succeed.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go as a team. As a coach and a teacher, I am genuinely committed to help my "team" live up to its potential.
Minor “Mick” Wetzel
“Mick is an energetic and passionate advocate for teaching aspiring violists. I have seen the work he has done by ‘inheriting’ some of his students. Thank you for your dedication to passing down your knowledge to interested violists everywhere.”
Karen Dreyfus
Faculty USC Thornton School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Music Academy of the West
karendreyfusviola.com
A native of Almira, Washington, violist MINOR L. WETZEL studied at Indiana University and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. His teachers have included Paul Coletti, Roland Vamos, Emmanuel Vardi, Donald McInnes, Camilla Wicks, Yizhak Schotten, and Tadeusz Wronski. Dr. Wetzel completed his doctoral degree in viola performance at UCLA in 2010.
His orchestral experience includes the Spokane Symphony, principal viola of the Ann Arbor Chamber and Sacramento Symphony Orchestras, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, and – for the six years prior to joining the Philharmonic – the San Francisco Symphony. He joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the start of the 1994/95 season.
He has performed as soloist with various local orchestras. His awards include the W. E. Hill & Sons Award at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition.
Wetzel has worked as a chamber music coach at the USC Thornton School of Music and taught viola performance on the faculty of UCLA. He currently teaches viola performance at The Colburn School. He is a regular performer on the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Chamber Music series and has also performed with various ensembles at the Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella concerts.
He and his wife Stacy, a member of the first violin section of the Philharmonic, have three children and two grandchildren.
