Cello Ovalle

Christian Ovalle is a cellist with performance experience across the United States, performing under conductors including Gustavo Dudamel, Eric Jacobsen, Daniel Bartholomew Poiser, and Kirt Mosier. He has performed in renowned venues such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, Steinmetz Hall, Colburn School, Emory University, and the University of Southern California. Notably, Christian was featured in a music video at Walt Disney World that garnered over 95 million views on YouTube. In recent times, he has participated in master classes with David Ying, Melissa Kraut, Ismael Guerrero, and Natalie Helm.

Christian has maintained an active lifestyle of involvement in professional development, artistry, education, and advocacy.
In January 2024, he was awarded a fellowship to attend Sphinx Organization’s SphinxConnect 2024 Conference: Amplify, the largest and longest-standing convening dedicated to diversity and inclusion in classical music.
During the summer of 2023, he attended the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute (NSO SMI) on a full scholarship, holding the Paula & Tom Mims Chair at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
In March of 2023, Christian was selected as one of two collegiate cellists to perform in a masterclass with David Ying at the annual ASTA National Conference.
Previously, in the summer of 2022, he took part in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA National Festival Symphony on full scholarship, debuting in Walt Disney Concert Hall under the baton of Maestro Dudamel. Christian was later accepted as a fellow in the YOLA National Institute Fellowship (phone number hidden)3.

As an El Sistema USA student, Christian is deeply committed to accessible music education, volunteering at free tuition music programs and mentoring low-income high-risk youth. He aims to contribute to the expansion of accessible music programs across the country.
In addition to his musical pursuits, Christian was one of 15 students accepted into UCF’s “ChargeON! Premed Scholars” program for Black and Latinx premedical students, demonstrating his dedication to diversifying the medical field.

Currently pursuing a BM in Cello Performance at the University of Central Florida, Christian performs with the UCF Symphony Orchestra, UCF Cello Choir, and serves as a section cellist for the Space Coast Symphony. He also maintains an active private cello studio, teaching students of all levels.
Outside of music, he enjoys bass fishing, penny-boarding, Rubik’s cubing, competitive table tennis, and rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays.