Fernando Arias, cello (Madrid, Spain), has won competitions such as Jugend Musiziert and Barcelona’s Primer Palau. He studied with Prof. Natalia Shakhovskaya in Madrid, where he received Her Majesty the Queen of Spain’s Best Student Award (Violoncello Chair) in 2008. He finished his Masters degree in Berlin with Prof. Jens Peter Maintz, and Prof. Eberhard Feltz. Fernando has held recitals in Spain, Tunisia, Germany, France, Holland, Portugal, Serbia, and the U.S., and has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras in Spain and Germany. Last year he released his first album, Three Sonatas, One Life, with pianist Luis del Valle on the Column Música label. Since the 2012-2013 academic year, he served on the faculty of Aragón Conservatory (CSMA). (Past Yellow Barn musician, 2012-2013), Past YAP Faculty (2014)