Bio

Kely Pinheiro is a Brazilian multi instrumentalist, vocalist, arranger, and producer redefining the role of the cello in contemporary music. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, she began playing at age five in a non-profit organization and quickly developed a voice that moved beyond traditional boundaries. Rather than staying confined to one genre, she built her artistic identity at the intersection of classical training, Brazilian roots, and modern production.

Her international career has taken her from Camerata Laranjeiras in Rio to a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music, where she earned degrees in Cello Performance and Contemporary Writing and Production. Soon after graduating, she joined the Hadestown National Tour as cellist and assistant music director, performing across the United States and further establishing herself as a versatile and expressive performer.

Kely is currently touring the world as a core band member in David Byrne’s global tour, performing cello and bass in major venues across North America, Europe, and beyond. The tour reflects the very space she has long been exploring: genre fluid, theatrical, rhythm driven, and emotionally direct. Performing in this context has deepened her relationship to movement, storytelling, and the expanded possibilities of the cello on stage.

Alongside her touring career, Kely is completing a Master of Music in Performance in the Multi Style Strings program at New Jersey City University, where she continues to develop her work across improvisation, technology, and cross genre collaboration. At the same time, she is building her own body of original music, transforming lived experience, displacement, and identity into songs in Portuguese and English.

Her work bridges intimacy and scale, acoustic depth and contemporary texture. Whether on a global stage or in her own recordings, Kely approaches music as a space for connection, honesty, and expansion.