Violist Rosemary Nelis has performed as chamber musician and soloist throughout the United States and Europe, sharing her imaginative playing in work that spans the great standard repertoire, historical performance, and extensive collaboration with living composers. Major performances include American premieres of works by composers Brett Dean, Hilda Paredes, Jörg Widmann, in addition to the New York City premiere of Kurtág’s …Concertante… for solo violin, viola and orchestra on the Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

Nelis has spent her career as a champion of contemporary music, working with composers Missy Mazzoli, David Lang, Christine Southworth, Dan Visconti, Andy Akiho, Kenji Bunch, Don Byron, James MacMillan, Brett Dean, Yu-Hui Chang, Jörg Widmann, and Joan Tower. During her time in the Cassatt String Quartet, Nelis worked with composers Daniel S. Godfrey, Adolphus Hailstork, Shirish Korde, and Tania Leon in addition to extensive performances of works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Dorothy Rudd Moore, and Florence Price.

Nelis received both Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Bard College and Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Steven Tenenbom and majored in Chinese Language and Literature. Nelis was the proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship during her Masters studies at The Juilliard School, where she worked with Roger Tapping and Misha Amory. She also studied at the University of Glasgow, Qing Dao University, and Yale School of Music, working with violists Duncan Ferguson and Ettore Causa. Nelis has spent summers performing chamber music at Yellow Barn, Bard Music Festival, Music@Menlo, and Kneisel Hall. In 2022 Nelis served as faculty at the Kinhaven Music School and is currently a Professor of Viola at both her alma mater, the Special Music School, and the Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. In 2024 Nelis will serve as faculty at Yellow Barn’s Young Artist Program and Vilacello String and Piano Festival in Pennsylvania. Ms. Nelis plays on a 1991 viola made by the Brooklyn-based maker Samuel Zygmuntowicz.