Alisa Weilerstein was born in 1982 to musical parents. Her father, Donald Weilerstein, is the first violin of the Cleveland Quartet, and her mother, Vivian Hornil Wilerstein, is a professor at the New England Conservatory, teaching both piano and chamber music. Ms. Weilerstein began playing the cello at four, giving her first recital not soon after. She holds a degree in Russian history from Columbia University. The Weilerstein Trio consists of her and her parents