Nurmira Salimbaeva Greenberg, cello A native of Kyrgyzstan, cellist Nurmira Salimbaeva Greenberg has performed as a chamber musician and recitalist across Europe, Central Asia, and the United States. At the age of 17, she won the National Performers Competition of Kyrgyzstan and was chosen to accompany that nation's president and first lady on a diplomatic tour of Russia, Turkey, and Switzerland, where she performed for various dignitaries and heads of state. Recently, she has been principal cellist for the Equinox Symphony and Mercury Opera, a member of the string quartet FourKnown, and a featured performer and lecturer for the Asia-Pacific History Foundation. Her CD, Hiding Place, features her own innovative compositions and arrangements for cello and piano. A student of Alan Harris and the late Stephen Kates, Nurmira earned her Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, and currently is on the faculty of Greenwich House Music School in New York City. A diverse musician, she also performs on the komuz, a traditional lute-like instrument native to central Asia.