Born in a family of musicians, Indira Rahmatulla began her cello studies with her parents. A graduate of the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, Indira studied with Vagram Saradjian in Houston, Ronald Leonard in Los Angeles and after with Jean-Guihen Queyras, completing her Master Studies and Soloist Diploma in Freiburg, Germany. In addition, Indira has completed her Chamber Music studies as a part of a piano trio at the Instituto de Musica de Camara de Reina Sofia de Madrid under Ralf Gothoni and her Baroque Cello studies at the Schola Cantorum Basilensis under Christophe Coin.
Indira has won numerous prizes in prestigious international competitions, including Aram Khachaturian International Cello Competition in Armenia, Luis Sigall International Cello Competition in Chile and Pasadena Showcase Instrumental Competition in Los Angeles, California.
Indira has appeared as soloist with orchestras around the world among which are Armenian State Orchestra in Yerevan, National Symphony Orchestra of Santiago de Chile, American Youth Symphony and Torrance Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles and Bilkent Symphony and Bursa State Symphony Orchestra in Turkey.
As a chamber musician, Indira has performed in collaboration with many leading artists, such as Menahem Pressler, Paul Coletti, Sergio Azzolini, Alexander Melnikov, and has been mentored by outstanding musicians among which are Arnold Steinhardt, Eldar Nebolsin, Ferenc Rados and Tabea Zimmermann. Indira was a fellow at the VillaMusica foundation in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Since 2015, Indira is a member of Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne in Switzerland. She frequently plays as solo-cello in Kammerorchester Basel, Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble and is a regular substitute at Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
Indira is a founding member and the Artistic Director of the International Kalamata Music Days since 2017, having developed the festival as one of the most relevant music festivals in Greece at the moment. She also teaches as one of the tutors of the festival’s annual violoncello masterclass.