Thoughts & Things

Cello In Modern Music

The cello makes for some incredible music much of the time. I won't pretend I don't have a soft spot for grand orchestral pieces, or string quartets. I also have a pretty big soft spot for the cello when it makes much more modern styled music. If you ever wondered who you could market cello pop or metal or anything to, wonder no more, for I am that person!

I have found quite a few modern musicians who feature the cello as a major part of their music, and I thought I would share a few of them for those who like the cello, and for those who are uncertain about the cello.

Tina Guo
Tina Guo is a cellist and erhuist originally from Shanghai and now based out of the USA. She has performed with numerous orchestras and symphonies, and on dozens of film and game scores. Most recently you might no her for her work on the Wonder Woman theme music with Hans Zimmer. She has released original solo albums of cello based metal, including her album Cello Metal.

Jorane
Jorane is a French-Canadian cellist and singer. She creates original cello based rock music, sung both in French and English. Unlike most cellists, she sings while she plays. Her style is similar to if Tori Amos sang in French instead of English and played the cello instead of the piano. Jorane also performed on a Sarah McLachlan album and composed the film score for Louis Cyr.

Vitamin String Quartet
Vitamin String Quartet is a Los Angeles based string quartet group that has been around since the late 1990s. As a string quartet, they feature a cello. Their music consists of covers of a variety of pop, rock, and electronic based genres, not traditionally associated with classical instruments. They have done approximately 260 albums of these covers, including artists such as Metallica, Lady Gaga, Peter Gabriel, and many more.

2Cellos
2Cellos (or 2CELLOS) are a cello duo, as the name would indicate. They are Slovenian and Croatian. The pair of cellists perform a variety of pop and rock hits most of their albums, with their most recent album, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, featuring songs from various film and television scores.

Cello Fury
Cello Fury is a group of cellists from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally a group of four cellists, they now consist of three cellists and a drummer. Cello Fury creates cello based rock music, that they blend with a variety of influences. This ultimately results in a sound that is equal parts progressive rock and modern classical.

(I have committed to blogging daily with Give It 100. This is Day Ninety. Eight days of leave taken total.)