Hailing from Maracaibo, Venezuela, Luis Arturo Celis Avila studied at Berklee College of Music with Susan Hagen and then joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music Diversity Fellowship Program and studied with Owen Lee. Celis has participated in various festivals such as the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC), Spoleto Music Festival USA, Curtis Institute Summerfest, the Round Top Festival Institute, and the Bach Institute. Before coming to the U.S., Celis studied with Elvis Martinez and Maciej Zlotkoswki at the Jose Luis Paz Conservatory in Maracaibo. As a versatile musician, Celis was part of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute for a year and also collaborated with contemporary artists like Jacob Collier, Aida Cuevas and Miguel Siso. As a TMC fellow, he had the opportunity to work with conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Thomas Adès, JoAnn Falleta, and John Williams.