Lourdes Delapena, cellist

Lourdes de la Peña was born in Chile and raised in Northern Virginia and studies with National Symphony Orchestra Principal Cellist, David Hardy. At Oberlin Conservatory, she studied with Darrett Adkins. She has performed with her string quartet, the Kulas Quartet, at the Embassy of Colombia, Embassy of Argentina, Inter-American Defense Board, Art Enables Gallery and Vocational Program, Central Union Mission, DC Library, Terra Centre Elementary School, Sunrise Assisted Living, and the Children’s Inn of the National Institute of Health. Their last performance premiered a new work by Brazilian Composer Guto Brinholi at the Brazilian Ambassador’s Residence. Lourdes was a National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellow where she performed solo and chamber works on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center and was a principal cellist of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2017, she performed as principal cellist of The Capitol Symphonic Youth Orchestra at the Microsoft Inspire International Convention. On behalf of the National Symphony for the Kennedy Center’s SHIFT Festival, she performed in two DC public schools. She has studied chamber music with musicians from the Ensemble de Camera of Washington, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Muir String Quartet.