A 2016-2017 recipient of a Fulbright-Nehru Grant, Juilliard-trained Cellist Avery Waite is an active performer, educator, composer and arts advocate. Excited by the transformative impact of music education and cultural exchange, he is involved in a wide range of education programs, social justice initiatives, and cultural diplomacy projects. Avery's journey began in Kabul, teaching cello and developing music curriculum for the Afghan Government Ministry of Education. Since that appointment, he has lived and taught overseas at music programs in the Middle East, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean and is very involved with the El Sistema movement both abroad and in the USA. He is currently the Program Director for MusAid, a non-profit specializing in global music education and has led teaching trips to El Salvador, Belize and Jamaica. In addition to his work with MusAid and other non-profits, Avery has worked in Lebanon, Iraq and Turkmenistan with the State Department-sponsored program American Voices. As a performer, he has appeared in concert at Avery Fisher Hall, The Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, MoMA, Carnegie Hall and has performed solo in Europe, Asia and North America. Avery completed his undergraduate studies at Oberlin Conservatory in 2010 and received a Masters degree from The Juilliard School in 2012. Photo credit: Omeed Manocheri