Celia Eliaz Mijares, born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1997, began taking viola lessons at the age of five and, shortly thereafter, gained her first experience playing in an orchestra through the Sistema Nacional de Orquestas de Venezuela. At the age of twelve, she became a member of the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Caracas, with which she performed on concert tours in Europe, the United States, and Asia. She continued her musical education at the Escuela de Música Mozarteum Caracas under Adriana Virgüez Cruz. She then completed her studies with Jonathan Brown at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona. In 2022, she was awarded First Prize at the Paul Hindemith Competition at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. From 2021 to 2024, she studied there with Thomas Riebl; since 2024, she has been continuing her studies with German Tcakulov. As a sought-after chamber musician, Celia Eliaz has appeared at renowned festivals such as the Pau Casals Festival, the International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove, and the Zeist Music Festival, where she has collaborated with internationally acclaimed musicians. In addition, she has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Camerata Salzburg, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. From 2023 to 2025, she was an academy member of the BRSO. Since June 2026, Celia Eliaz has been a member of the Munich Philharmonic.
