Check Out Cellista’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cellista . 

Hi Cellista, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a nomadic performance artist originally hailing from Longmont, CO where I grew up. Longmont gave me some of my first opportunities as a cellist. It was there that I first joined the Longmont Youth Symphony and decided to pursue the cello as my full-time occupation. 

At Metro State, I studied both cello performance and political science until I moved abroad to France in 2006. 

After a few years living as an expat, I landed Stateside in the Bay Area 2011. There I attended San Francisco State University as a graduate student in cello performance. During that time, I began my career formally, working as a session musician and performing with bands and artists like The Coup, Tanya Donelly, the Dear Hunter, Van Dyke Parks, and more. At the same time, I studied with cellist Jennifer Culp (founding member of Kronos Quartet), and the Alexander String Quartet. I appeared on the TV shows ‘Better Things’ and on a trailer for ‘Will and Grace.’ 

I also began composing and directing multimedia stage pieces I call stage poems, after the French surrealist Jean Cocteau. Through these pieces, I found my artistic voice. 

However, the pandemic brought me and so many of my colleagues to our knees. Overnight, I watched my livelihood disappear. With that painful chapter, I ended up back in my home state of Colorado. 

I now split my time between Los Angeles and Colorado. Last year I received my master’s in business from Berklee College of Music. 

Following that, I founded House of Cellista in Longmont, CO. 

This house serves as an artist residency center. Through it, I advocate for the arts and offer subsidized housing to working artists who are my tenants, in exchange for the creation of community-based artistic offerings. I am hopeful that through the collection of data I get through the house’s various concerts etc, I can generate a model for the city of Longmont that shows the benefits of affordable housing and rent control in Boulder County. The benefits go beyond the arts and into the community at large. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Already, prior to COVID, as a working artist I watched my colleague’s struggle. I watched them bounce back and forth chasing affordable living spaces in which they could work and create. 

More often than not, they landed in unsafe conditions. 

And then the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland happened. My community bore a heavy loss. For days, it felt like the entire Bay was holding its breath. A rupture had occurred. The first of many. 

In the wake of the Ghost Ship, the Trump presidency, as well as the spiraling growth of America’s urban centers, the desperate need for cities and the communities within them to recognize and take care of those on the margins was underscored. 

I firmly believe that what spurs arts and culture in a community comes from the implementation of equitable legislation like affordable housing, eased permitting and zoning. 

This is an ongoing challenge and hurdle. One I hope Boulder can meet. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a performer, I want to tell the stories and hear the stories of those around me. These voices and all voices are valuable and deserve to be heard. 

I am dedicated to providing economic opportunities to working artists through performance, education, advocacy, and professional development. My work is shaped by the very artists and audience members who participate and encounter it, creating an inclusive space for creative cultivation and community building. 

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Trust the process. 

Pricing:

• Film Scoring: varies per project
• Music Lessons: $90/hour
• Business Lessons: $90/hour
• Live performance: $350/first hour; $100/additional

Contact Info:

• Website: cellista.net
• Instagram: @xcellistax
• Facebook: cellista.music
• Twitter: @xcellistax
• Youtube: xcellistax
• Other: cellista.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Yellow Bubbles Photography