Nancy Olivares

Artist Diploma in progress, Texas Christian University

Graduate Artist Certificate, OAcademy

MM, University of Rhode Island

BM, Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey

Nancy Olivares is a distinguished Mexican cellist from Monterrey, Nuevo León. She has been awarded First Prize at the National Cello Competition of Mexico on three separate occasions (2014, 2018, and 2021). In 2021, her string quartet won Third Prize at the National String Quartet Competition in Mexico, standing out as the youngest ensemble of that edition. At the age of 16, she made her solo debut with the Youth Orchestra of the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey. Nancy began her musical journey at the age of five and started studying cello at seven under the guidance of Temenuzhka Ostreva at the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey, where she later completed her undergraduate degree. From an early age, she showed a deep passion for orchestral music, which led to her selection from among hundreds of young musicians to join the Mexican National Youth Symphony Orchestra for three consecutive years, serving as principal cellist. She later held the same role with Sinfónica Azteca in 2021 and 2023, under the baton of renowned conductor Paolo Bortolameoli. Nancy has been principal cellist in several ensembles, including the Orquesta Filarmónica de La Super, the Symphony Orchestra of the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey, Thames Valley Youth Orchestra, and the University of Rhode Island Symphony Orchestra.

In the summer of 2025, Nancy appeared as a soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Aguascalientes. An active orchestral musician, she has performed with numerous orchestras across Mexico and the United States. In 2019, she joined the Orchestra of the Americas, participating in a historic tour across Mexico under the direction of Carlos Miguel Prieto and Paolo Bortolameoli, sharing the stage with acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham. In 2024, she was selected to join the prestigious National Orchestral Institute + Festival, led by artistic director Marin Alsop, performing concerts in Maryland, the National Cathedral of Washington, D.C., and at the renowned Ravinia Festival in Chicago. In 2025, Nancy won contracts with the Garland Symphony Orchestra, Arlington Symphony Orchestra, and Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, and continues to perform regularly as a substitute with professional orchestras throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Nancy holds a Graduate Artist Certificate in Orchestral Performance and Digital Creation from OAcademy, as well as a Master of Music degree from the University of Rhode Island. She is currently a student at Texas Christian University, where she is studying her Artist Diploma under the guidance of Dr. Juliette Herlin.