At just twelve years old, Sofia Hernandez-Williams plays the cello as if the instrument is an extension of her soul. At each performance, she carefully places the cello, opens her heart, and allows the notes to pour out. Sofia’s purpose was clear by the time she was a kindergartener - she was born to share her music with others.

“I really wanted to play an instrument, and from what I’ve heard, my parents actually thought I was going to play the violin,” Hernandez-Williams said. “My dad is a violinist, and mama is a cellist, so they gave me toy violins, which I attempted to play, but I really just wanted to play the cello.”

Caroline Reiner-Williams, Sofia’s mother, agrees, noting that Sofia was always very determined to play the cello and improve her skills on the instrument. It was a bonus - that only a younger sibling can appreciate - that her true talent was first realized when playing Dvorak’s Humoresque arranged for cello and piano with her older (8 at the time) brother.

“(Listening) I realized that not only was she completely feeling the music, but she also wanted to communicate that feeling to her audience,” Reiner-Williams elaborated.

One would think that with a demanding music schedule such as hers, Sofia would have little time for anything else. She quickly disagrees, noting that because she is homeschooled her schedule is quite flexible, and she can structure everything else around her practice schedule. She works hard so she can do the things she loves like reading and studying math.

Reiner-Williams agrees that being homeschooled is a privilege that allows Sofia the opportunity to manage her time in a way others cannot.

“Fortunately, Sofia is quite good at being a kid. She loves taking care of her chickens and rabbit at home in Holden, making trips to the library for new books, hanging out and laughing with her orchestra friends, and still brings her favorite stuffed animal (a rabbit named Caitriona) everywhere she goes,” Reiner-Williams said.

There is no question that Sofia is a unique and talented kid; something her teachers at the Joy of Music in Worcester noticed when they first met her.

“I would say that she is as accurate as any professional cello soloist performing today,” music educator Timothy Terranella from Joy of Music said. “She has a unique ability to create different tone colors in her playing that reflect changes in the music and project this to her audience.”

The most challenging time of Sofia’s music career to date was when she was but 7-years-old and the world endured a pandemic. Moving lessons online was complicated for the most seasoned musicians, but Sofia managed it with the same ease that her bow quietly draws across the strings of her cello, silencing the loudest of audiences.

 “We went through the pandemic early on, and she had to have lessons online, so having string-player parents certainly helped. But Sofia is clearly a natural at the cello with a fantastic ear for music,” Terranella said.

Sofia’s long-term goal is to perform Dvorak’s cello concerto with an orchestra one day. There is no doubt this will happen before she enters high school. W

To follow Sofia on Instagram, go to @sofia_c_hernandez_w and her Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/SofiaHernandezCellist.

Sofia will perform at these upcoming concerts:

• Solo recital at Christ Church, 569 Main St., Fitchburg, January 11 at noon.

• New Philharmonia Orchestra concerts in Newton (location to be determined) feature Sofia and 11-year-old violinist Valerie Bai, February 28, at 7:30 pm and Sunday March 1 at 3:00 pm. Featuring the 3rd movement of the Brahms “Double Concerto.”

• Concerto Competition Winner Concert with Boston Youth Symphony, Sunday March 8 at Cary Memorial Hall in Lexington, 3:00 pm. Featuring the complete Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 with Sofia Hernandez-Williams, winner.