Described as “an assured soloist” with “fearless technique,” Cecilia Huerta-Lauf brings passion and heart to her performances as an accomplished cellist. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, she is the founder, director, and cellist of NouLou Chamber Players. She is a substitute cellist with the Louisville Orchestra and has performed as guest assistant principal during the Festival of American Music with conductors Teddy Abrams and Michael Tilson Thomas. Cecilia also performs electric cello with Electria.
A native of Dickson, Tennessee, Cecilia began playing the cello at age four and made her debut with the Nashville Symphony at sixteen. She studied in the Blair School of Music’s pre-college program, earned her B.M. at DePaul University under Steve Balderston and Brant Taylor, her M.M. at New England Conservatory with Paul Katz, and her D.M.A. at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music with Ross Harbaugh. Her dissertation, The Exploration and Creation of Cello Arrangements for Selected Works by Carlos Guastavino, is publicly available. Her soloist honors include first prize in the Chicago Cliff Dwellers String Competition, the Frost Symphony Concerto Competition, and a semi-finalist placement in the Carlos Prieto International Cello Competition.
Cecilia’s orchestral career includes membership in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Discovery Ensemble, Florida Grand Opera, Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. She was the founding administrative director and principal cellist of the Boston Latin-American Orchestra and has worked with renowned conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Michael Tilson Thomas. As a Henry Mancini Institute Fellow, she served as principal cellist, collaborating with composers including Latin Grammy nominee Rafael Piccolotto de Lima, and was a member of the inaugural HMI String Quartet. Her orchestral work also includes serving as guest assistant principal with the Paducah Symphony Orchestra and Louisville Ballet, performing as cellist for select Kentucky Opera productions, and appearing with Electria and the Lexington Philharmonic. In 2023, she won an orchestral audition with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra.
As an entrepreneur and leader, Cecilia was one of the first recipients of New England Conservatory’s Entrepreneurial Grant and a semi-finalist for the Chicago Edes Foundation Prize during her graduate studies, during which she founded and directed the Boston Latin-American Orchestra. From 2018 to 2021, she served on the board of the Chamber Music Society of Louisville, including three years as board president.
In the chamber music realm, Cecilia has trained with the Borromeo String Quartet, Vivian Weilerstein, Rami Solomonow, and Ilya Kaler, and has performed at celebrated festivals including the Banff Centre, Carteret Cello Festival, Forecastle Festival, and venues across the U.S., Canada, France, and Italy. In addition to her work with NouLou Chamber Players, she has performed in and is the coordination manager for the Derby City Chamber Music Festival and has performed in the newly formed Chamber Orchestra of Louisville.
Beyond classical music, Cecilia performs Latin American, jazz, bluegrass, rock, and Broadway repertoire. She has performed in The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and The Phantom of the Opera; studied bluegrass with Mark O’Connor; and collaborated in both performances and recordings with artists including George Benson, Weezer, Jack Harlow, Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli, Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea, Gloria Estefan, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Her recording credits include film and video game scores, PBS specials, and live broadcasts such as Live from Here with Bruce Hornsby and Chris Thile.
An experienced educator, Cecilia has taught at the University of Miami, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, Frost String Academy, Superior Music Academy, Suzuki Stars Music Academy, and the University of Louisville’s Community Music Program. She is certified in Suzuki Cello Unit One and the O’Connor String Method. She has coached for the Louisville Academy of Music’s Summer Programs, Louisville Youth Orchestra, Oldham County Arts Center’s Leadership & Performance for Strings Summer Intensive, Youth Performing Arts School, and local middle and elementary school programs, and has judged state competitions. Her outreach work includes programs with the Louisville Free Public Library, Oxmoor Farm & NouLou Chamber Players.