Venezuelan violinist Mariesther Alvarez is founder and co-director of Boston String Academy, a non-profit organization inspired by El Sistema that believes in social change through musical excellence. Mariesther holds graduate degrees from The Boston Conservatory. She has been invited as faculty and guest artist at different institutions including New England Conservatory, Longy School of Music, Harvard University, Sphinx, El Sistema USA, American String Teachers Association, Celebrity Series, Harmony Program, El Sistema in Venezuela. 

Mariesther’s violin and pedagogy mentors have included Francisco Díaz, José Francisco Del Castillo, Sophie Vilker, Mela Tenenbaum, Rictor Noren, Mimi Zweig, and Geza Szilvay. She has also collaborated with artists such as The Berlin Philharmonic String Quartet, Pamela Frank, Joseph Silverstein, Midori, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Gustavo Dudamel, and Sir Simon Rattle. 

Currently, Mariesther serves on the faculty at Boston String Academy, The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and LA Phil’s Yola National Festival. In the Spring of 2016, she was chosen among the 100 most influential people for the Hispanic community in Massachusetts. And in 2019 she received the Mass Cultural Council’s Commonwealth Awards through her work with Boston String Academy, which honors exceptional achievement in the arts, humanities, and sciences in the state of Massachusetts. In 2023 her organization received recognition from the Boston City Council for its contributions dedicated to supporting and promoting Venezuelan culture in the City of Boston and in the Commonwealth.