Gregorio Nieto

Gregorio Nieto is a Venezuelan cellist whose career reflects a deep commitment to artistic excellence and the promotion of Latin American repertoire on the international stage.

Born in Barquisimeto, widely known as the musical capital of Venezuela, he began his musical training at an early age. At ten, he won a position in the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional Infantil de Venezuela, where he met Maestro Jose Antonio Abreu, founder of Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles, who later became his musical mentor.

He continued his studies at the Academia Latinoamericana de Violonchelo under Maestro William Molina. At age 17, he made his solo debut with the Orquesta Sinfonica Simon Bolivar, performing Cello Concerto No. 1 by Camille Saint-Saens. At 22, he won by competition the position of Principal Cello of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela, the country’s oldest orchestra and a designated national cultural heritage institution.

In 2008, he made his European solo debut in Italy and Greece, performing the Rococo Variations by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The following year, his pursuit of artistic refinement took him to Moscow, where he was admitted to the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory as one of five students in the prestigious cello studio of Natalia Gutman. In 2011, he made his Russian solo debut performing Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo Capriccioso in the Great Tchaikovsky Hall.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Giuseppe Sinopoli, Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado, and Gustavo Dudamel, and has appeared extensively across Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

Among his recent U.S. projects is a collaboration with Grammy-winning clarinetist and composer Paquito D'Rivera, who praised him as “one of the finest cellists” he has performed with. Together they recorded Invitación al Danzón, featured on the 2024 album Esencia: Latin American Masterpieces for Cello and Piano, alongside Japanese pianist Riko Higuma. The album was co-produced by Emilio Solla and released by the Spanish label ARIAclassics.

In 2023, he presented a concert in New York dedicated to iconic Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera, who honored him with her presence. In November 2024, he made his official U.S. debut at the University Club of New York for the anniversary of the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute, attended by Her Majesty Queen Sofia. He later appeared as soloist with the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, with whom he continues artistic engagements.

In March 2025, he recorded his second album of Romantic cello concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Josep Vicent. The recording featured a Stradivarius cello generously provided by renowned French luthier Christophe Landon, with Fernando Arias as producer and Cora Capriles as executive producer.

Currently based in New York, Gregorio performs on a 1705 cello by David Tecchler, crafted in Rome.