About

Nathalie Joy Hernandez Ayala is a Mexican cellist and music educator born in Tijuana, Baja California, at the border between Mexico and the United States. She has studied with distinguished mentors including Juliette Herlin, Jesús Castro-Balbi, Ghyas Zeidieh, Moises Molina, José Luis Gálvez, Yevgeniya Kobylyanska, and Victoria Getman, who have greatly influenced her musical development and artistry.

From a very young age, Nathalie advanced in her career by earning scholarships such as the Talentos Artísticos de Baja California, which supported her early growth as a performer. She began her orchestral journey with the Sinfonica Juvenil de Tijuana, where she also performed as a soloist, and was part of the Centro de Artes Musicales, performing alongside professional musicians with the Orquesta de Baja California, also as a soloist and section cello. Later, she toured nationally from 2011-2013 with Mexico’s Orquesta Sinfónica Infantil y Juvenil (OSIM).

As a soloist, Nathalie won the Western Illinois University School of Music Concerto Competition, which led to a solo performance with their orchestra of the Dvorak Cello Concerto. Passionate about chamber music, she has won multiple prizes at prestigious competitions, including the MTNA Chamber Music Competition in the United States, earning recognition for her expressive playing and collaborative artistry.

She has participated in masterclasses with distinguished musicians such as Amit Peled, Marc Coppey, Clive Greensmith, Daniel McDonough, Thomas Loewenheim, Jorge Risi, Nicholas Kitchen, William Kinderman, Norman Fischer, Paola Prestini, and Charles Pikler; these experiences have profoundly shaped her musical voice and pedagogy.

Nathalie’s international career includes performances in Italy as part of a summer festival tour, as well as numerous appearances across Mexico and the United States. She came to the U.S. through the President’s International String Quartet Scholarship at Western Illinois University and later completed her Master’s degree at Texas Christian University, where she also served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.

Currently, Nathalie performs with the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Abilene Philharmonic, McKinney Philharmonic, and other ensembles across Texas, while sharing her love of music through innovative and supportive teaching. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys writing poetry, exploring films, creating more music, and spending time with her husband, their pets Pache, Sesame, and Kotik.