William Molina Cestari is an acclaimed Latin American cellist, soloist, and pedagogue. He has been internationally praised for his leadership, expressiveness, musical sensitivity, and outstanding teaching.

Originally from Maracay, Venezuela, Mr. Molina Cestari began his studies at an early age at the Federico Villena School of Music. His first teachers were Andrés Herrera, Marek Gajzler, and Héctor Vásquez.

He continued her studies by entering the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied with Philippe Müller. At 19, he earned First Prize and a Gold Medal at the conservatory, where he studied cello and chamber music with prominent French artists such as Paul Tortelier, André Navarra, Jean Hubeau, and Genevieve Joy Dutilleux. He also collaborated closely and perfected her playing with Frans Helmerson, Leonard Rose, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Natalia Gutman.

As a soloist and section director, Mr. Molina Cestari has given concerts on several continents, including Asia, Latin America, and Europe. He has worked with a multitude of conductors such as: Eduardo Mata, José Antonio Abreu, Carlos Chávez, Gustavo Dudamel, Alfredo Rugeles, Subin Mehta, Eduardo Marturet, Carlos Riazuelo, Olivier Grangean, Sung Kwak, Christian Vásquez, Sergiu Comissiona, Patricio Aizaga, Juan Carlos Lomonaco, Mendi Rodán, Tarsicio Barreto, Rubén Capriles, Leonard Bernstein, Seji Osawa, Simon Rattle, Simon Blech, Vittorio Negri, Claudio Abbado, Giuseppe Sinopoli, David Machado, Francisco Rettig, Eduardo Carrizosa, Pierre Boulez, Eduardo Rahn, Enrique Bátiz, Piero Gamba, Eduardo García Barrios, Eduardo Díaz Muñoz, Teresa Hernández, Pablo Castellano, Teo Alcántara, Krzysztof Penderecki, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, among others.

He has shared the stage with luminaries from the world of classical music such as: Félix Ayo, Olivier Charlie, Eugene Fodor, David Kim, Gabriela Montero, Leslie Right, José Francisco del Castillo, Alexis Cárdenas, Carlos Duarte, Christian Benítez, Domingo Mujica, Gary Carr, Luis Rossi, Kalman Berkes, Helena Abend, Judith Jaimes, Virginie Robilliard, Carlos Prieto and Giovanni Sollima.

Mr. Molina Cestari has participated in numerous international events and music festivals, and has recorded extensively for radio and television in several countries. He has appeared as a soloist on several CD recordings. His repertoire covers a wide range of genres and styles of cello literature.

Mr. Molina Cestari is responsible for the Latin American premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante. He has appeared as a soloist and conductor in works by Haydn, Vivaldi, Bach, Tartini, Paganini, and Boccherini. He has been a guest lecturer and professor at numerous prestigious institutions such as the CAF (Canadian Academy of Music), the UN, the OAS (Organization of American States), and UNESCO, as well as at prestigious universities and conservatories around the world. He is one of the founders of the acclaimed organization "El Sistema" in Venezuela and the creator of the Latin American Cello Academy.

A respected and inspiring pedagogue, Mr. Molina Cestari founded the Venezuelan Modern Cello School over 30 years ago. This movement sparked renewed interest in the instrument and gave rise to multiple generations of cellists and award-winning artists worldwide. He has served as a judge for international cello competitions and has served as principal cellist with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Paris Conservatoire Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, the European Union Orchestra, and the Jalisco Philharmonic. He is currently principal cellist with the Minería Symphony Orchestra in Mexico City.