Ashley Walters is a native of Oak Hill, Virginia. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Contemporary Cello Performance as a fellow at the University of California, San Diego. She graduated from California Institute of the Arts with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Cello Performance. In 2005, Ashley graduated from Vanderbilt University, Magna Cum Laude. She had her solo debut in 2006 performing Sciarrino’s ‘Melencolia I’ at the REDCAT hall in Los Angeles. In the summer of 2008, Ashley worked with the great Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho performing her work ‘Spins and Spells’ as part of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Ashley is a founding member of the Formalist Quartet, a new music based string quartet that tours in the U.S. and internationally. She is also a member of inauthenita, a LA based new music ensemble. Ashley serves on the cello faculty of the Oakwood School, the Academy of Creative Education, and the California State Summer School. Ashley's primary teachers have been Charles Curtis, Felix Wang, John Kochanowski, Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, and Barbara VanPatten. Ashley can also been seen performing as a modern dancer and focuses on works that incorporate music and dance. She has worked with choreographers such as Bennett Savage, Ivan Pulinkala, Kelvin Amburgey, Marsha Barsky, Mary Arwen, Blythe Barton, Alicia Peterson Baskel, and Allyson Greene.