Nellis DeLay

Nellis DeLay (1919, Medicine Lodge, Kansas — 27 May 2004, New York) was an American cellist and distinguished pedagogue, sister of violinist Dorothy De Lay, and wife of a baritone singer Clifford Harvuot. She served as the New York City Ballet Orchestra's principal cellist (between 1948 and 1970) and was one of the four co-founders of the Rockland Conservatory of Music in 1956. She studied at The Oberlin Conservatory Of Music and the Juilliard School (with Felix Salmond). In 1939, Nellis established the Stuyvesant Trio with her sister Dorothy on violin and pianist Helen Brainerd. When DeLay joined the New York City Ballet Orchestra in 1948, she became one of the first American women to hold a principal cellist position with any US major orchestra. In 1949, Nellis settled in Rockland County in New York; she taught for many years at the NYC's School for Strings, the Rockland Conservatory she co-founded, and gave private lessons.