Neyla Pekarek

Neyla Pekarek (she/her/hers) began playing cello at age 9 in her hometown of Aurora, Colorado. She studied Musical Theatre and earned a degree in Music Education at UNC in Greeley, CO. In 2010, she joined the Denver folk-rock group The Lumineers as a cellist and vocalist, and spent 8 years, touring the world and recording with the band. In January 2019, she released her debut album, Rattlesnake (streaming now!), on S-Curve records, and was commissioned by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to develop her album into a musical production entitled, Rattlesnake Kate, which had its World Premier at the DCPA in February 2022. Neyla wrote the music and lyrics, and garnered a Best Supporting Actress Henry Award for her portrayal of the cello playing horse, Brownie. She recorded a companion EP entitled Western Woman released in June, 2023. Neyla is a proud member of Sweet Adelines International and The Barbershop Harmony Society, two organizations that nurture the craft of Barbershop Quartet Singing. She sang baritone for the 2009 Rising Star Champion quartet, Vogue and currently sings tenor in Clever Girl Quartet. Instagram: @NeylaPekarek