Michaela Paetsch Neftel (born Michaela Modjeska Paetsch; November 12, 1961 – January 20, 2023) was an American violinist who was born in Colorado Springs. She was known for being the first American female to have recorded all 24 Paganini Caprices for solo violin. She was first prize winner in the 1984 G. B. Dealey Awards and a top prize winner in the 1985 Queen Elisabeth Competition and a special prize winner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition held in 1986.
Early life
Michaela Modjeska Paetsch was born on November 12, 1961, the second oldest of seven children in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was named after the famous Polish actress Helena Modjeska.
Her parents were Günther Johannes Paetsch who was from Germany and Priscilla Paetsch who was American, and she was raised with two sisters (Phebe and Brigitte) and four brothers (Johann, Christian, Englebert and Siegmund). Paetsch's father was a cellist and her mother was violinist. Both parents played in the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra and they also taught all of the 7 children to play stringed instruments. Paetsch's family was passionate about classical music.
Michaela Paetsch had her first lesson at the age of three from her mother and immediately after showed her two-year-old sister Brigitte exactly what she had been taught with the violin.
