Elliott Watras is an 18 year old cellist from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a recent graduate of St. Xavier High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society. Elliott’s cello studies began at the age of three with Nadine Montchecourt. Before high school, Elliott performed the Fauré Requiem with the Walnut Hills High School Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Louis Langrée. At St. Xavier, he played in the strings ensemble Men in Black, liturgical music ensemble, and the pit orchestra. For his contributions to the strings program, he was granted the Yo-Yo Ma Award. As a winner of the 2023 Julia Bartels Concerto Competition, Elliott performed Kol Nidre with the Immanuel School of Music Youth Sinfonia at Memorial Hall. In addition to playing the cello, Elliott served as a captain on the St. Xavier varsity ice hockey team. He will attend Miami University in the fall where he will double major in Cello Performance and Professional Writing.