Courtenay Vandiver Pereira is a Houston-native cellist described by the Boston Globe as “an expert player” and by the New Jersey Star-Ledger for her “wonderful technique and creamy sound.” She has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Gewandhaus in Leipzig.

A Virtuosi of Houston alumna, she is principal cellist of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Mercury Chamber Orchestra and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, and she performs with the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet. A founding member of the chamber orchestra A Far Cry, she released the album Journey to Light.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the New England Conservatory with Academic and Artistic Distinction, studying with Laurence Lesser and Paul Katz, and is a recipient of the Yellow Rose of Texas award.

Photo courtesy of Mercury Chamber Orchestra