Music Director and Conductor of the Youth Orchestras of Charlotte, Dr. Ernest Pereira previously conducted the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras, leading them in performances at Charlotte’s Festival in the Park, Summer Pops at Symphony Park, as well as at national concert venues in Washington, D.C. and Charleston, SC, for Piccolo Spoleto. Under Pereira’s baton, the CSYO performed twice at the prestigious venue of Carnegie Hall in New York City, in 2002 and 2017. In 2020, he led the YOC in a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He has guest conducted the Charlotte Civic Orchestras and appeared on several local chamber music series as either a violinist or conductor. Dr. Pereira was featured at the Charlotte Symphony’s annual Youth Festival, conducting the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, the JYO and CSYO, as well as the combined professional and youth orchestras.

Dr. Pereira co-directed, with Dr. Paul Nitsch, the Fun with Chamber Music program for youth at Queens University of Charlotte and has taught violin at Queens. Students from his orchestra and private teaching studio have gone on to major in music at noted conservatories and universities, including the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, the University of Texas at Austin, Yale School of Music, Peabody Institute at the Johns Hopkins University, Oberlin College, North Carolina School of the Arts, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Vanderbilt University. Graduates of his studio and orchestras also hold performing and teaching positions in many of the nation’s orchestras and universities, as well as having musical careers in film, television, and non-classical genres.

A native of South Africa, Dr. Pereira received his early training in violin in Pretoria from Walter Mony and Alan Solomon, and holds Teacher and Performer Licentiates from the University of South Africa. He studied in this country with David Cerone, graduating as valedictorian from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1981 and a Master of Music degree in 1982. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987, studying with Vincent Frittelli. Dr. Pereira served as Concertmaster of both the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra as well as the University of Texas Orchestra, and conducted the University of Texas String Project Orchestra. Dr. Pereira served as a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 2023. He has appeared frequently as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, South Africa, and Namibia, and has soloed with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and the Charlotte Civic Orchestra. He believes strongly in educating young musicians and maintains an active and successful violin studio. With the newly created YOC, Dr. Pereira continues to foster musical excellence in orchestral performance, drawing on over 30 years of professional experience.