Steven Sharp Nelson

Last updated

Steven Sharp Nelson
Steven Sharp Nelson (cropped).jpg
Nelson in 2018
Background information
Also known asThe Cello Guy
Born (1977-07-05) July 5, 1977 (age 46)
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Genres Classical, new-age
Occupation(s)Cellist, composer
Instrument(s) Cello
Years active2006–present
Website stevensharpnelson.com

Steven Sharp Nelson (born July 5, 1977) is an American cellist. He is best known as "The Cello Guy" [1] [2] of the classical new-age musical group The Piano Guys, with whom he has released eight number-one albums and dozens of music videos. He also has three solo albums to his credit. He is considered a pioneer in "cello-percussion", which enhances traditional cello playing with pizzicato and percussive techniques.

Contents

Early life and education

Steven Sharp Nelson grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, [2] the son of John C. Nelson and Lynne Sanders. [3] His mother was a former professional opera singer, and she died from a brain tumor on May 21, 1999, [4] and his younger sister, Camille Nelson, is a folk musician. [5] When he was seven, Nelson's father decided that each of his children would learn to play an instrument invented before 1800. [4] Nelson tried the violin but discovered a passion for the cello. [4] He studied cello with teacher Kate Reeves and then with Ryan Selberg, the principal cellist for the Utah Symphony. [6] [2] Since his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) inhibited his attention span for long practice sessions, he began practicing on other instruments as well, including drums, guitar, and piano. [6] [2] This led to his developing creative ways to play the cello: "strumming it, banging it and using pizzicato much more aggressively – using my thumb, fist, fingernail and palm". [2] He also began playing with different types of musical groups, including bands, orchestras, and string quartets. [6]

Nelson earned his bachelor's degree in music from the University of Utah in 2002. [7] [8] In 2007 [8] he earned a master's degree in public administration, as well as a graduate certificate in urban planning, from the same institution. [4] [7]

Career

Nelson initially pursued a career as a real estate developer, becoming the owner of Thornton Walker Real Estate. [7] [4] In his spare time, he played cello to accompany local musicians both on stage and in the studio. By 2006, he had played on more than 100 locally produced music CDs. [4] Among his musician partners were several pianists and a guitarist. [9] In 2006 he described his music as "an escape, rather than a vocation", and didn't expect music to become his primary career. [4]

In 1999 Nelson signed with Stone Angel Music, an independent record label in Salt Lake City founded by Paul Cardall. His first solo album, Sacred Cello (2006), entered the Billboard charts top 20 classical recordings and garnered a Pearl Award for Best Instrumental Classical Album. [10] His other two solo albums are Tender Mercies (2008) and Christmas Cello (2010). [7]

The Piano Guys

The Piano Guys' Jon Schmidt (left) and Nelson (right) perform live in 2002 Piano Guys.JPG
The Piano Guys' Jon Schmidt (left) and Nelson (right) perform live in 2002

Nelson became a member of The Piano Guys in 2011. [7] The group was the brainchild of Paul Anderson, owner of The Piano Guys piano store in St. George, Utah, who sought an innovative way to promote his store via social media. [11] In 2009 Anderson saw a YouTube music video that local musician Jon Schmidt had uploaded "for fun", [12] featuring Schmidt on piano and Nelson on cello and kick drum performing a mashup called "Love Story Meets Viva la Vida", which combined the Taylor Swift country pop "Love Story" with Coldplay's Baroque pop "Viva la Vida". The video garnered over one million hits. [13] Anderson hired the duo to perform on videos that he would professionally film in unusual locations and upload to his store's YouTube channel. [13] [11] [12] Nelson brought in his neighbor, Al van der Beek, a songwriter and music arranger who had a home recording studio, to the project. [12] Tel Stewart assisted with video production. [14]

The Piano Guys gained their first widespread exposure with "Michael Meets Mozart" (2011), thanks to Schmidt's invitation to the nearly 30,000 people on his fan mailing list "to watch it and share it"; as a result, people began watching the videos beyond the region. [12] The video featured Nelson playing 100 cello tracks to achieve the final effect. [2] Nelson's video performances of "Cello Wars" (2011) and "Beethoven's 5 Secrets" (2012) debuted at number one on the YouTube charts. [7]

The Piano Guys signed with Sony Masterworks in 2012. [14] At that point they all quit their regular jobs to pursue their musical career. [11] The group has released eight number-one albums. As of February 2024 they have surpassed 2.3 billion views on their YouTube channel and have 7.09 million subscribers. [15] Their most popular video is a cover of Christina Perri's A Thousand Years, with over 223 million views.

Musical style

Nelson performs a variety of musical styles, including classical, folk, new age, and inspirational. [4] He is considered a pioneer in "cello-percussion", which enhances traditional cello playing with pizzicato and percussive techniques. [16] He owns 41 cellos, which he says produce different sounds and have different "personalities". [6] He also plays kick drum. [2]

He credits his influences as Yo-Yo Ma, Bobby McFerrin, and Victor Borge. [4]

Personal life

Nelson is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [11] As part of his faith, Nelson served a mission to South Korea. [17] He considers his art and his touring as a means to spread the gospel; he says that he also gives away a copy of the Book of Mormon to someone on nearly every tour. [1] He and the other members of The Piano Guys, all LDS, pray together before each concert, recording session, and video shoot. [1]

Nelson and his wife, Julie, have four children and reside in Salt Lake City. [1] In 2017, he performed a duet together with his daughter Lucy, who sang, in the One Voice Children's Choir's music video of "Only Hope". [18] In 2018 he performed with his wife, who played violin, in a cover of "Rewrite the Stars". [19]

Discography

Stevesoundcheck.jpg

Solo albums

The Piano Guys

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yo-Yo Ma</span> American cellist (born 1955)

Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist. Born and partially raised in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from the Juilliard School and Harvard University, attended Columbia University, and has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world. He has recorded more than 90 albums and received 19 Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Davydov</span> Musical artist

Karl Yulievich Davydov was a Russian cellist, described by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as the "czar of cellists". He was also a composer, mainly for the cello. His name also appears in various different spellings: Davydov, Davidoff, Davidov, and more, with his first name sometimes written as Charles or Carl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Isserlis</span> British cellist (born 1958)

Steven Isserlis is a British cellist. An acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, educator, writer and broadcaster, he is widely regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. He is also noted for his diverse repertoire and distinctive sound which is deployed with his use of gut strings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Schmidt</span> American pianist

Jon Schmidt is an American pianist and composer. Classically trained, he branched into New Age music in his 20s and has developed a classical crossover style that blends classical, contemporary, and rock and roll. He has released eight solo albums and seven piano books containing original scores. Since 2010 he has been a member of The Piano Guys musical group, performing on their YouTube videos, albums, and in concert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cello Sonata (Debussy)</span>

The Cello Sonata, L. 135, is a sonata for cello and piano by Claude Debussy. It was part of his project Six sonatas for various instruments to compose six sonatas for different instruments. It consists of three movements: Prologue, Sérénade and Finale. It was composed and published in 1915. After performances in London and Geneva in 1916, the sonata's official premiere in Paris was played in 1917 by Joseph Salmon and Debussy. It was the first chamber music work in his late style, and became one of the key works in the repertoire from the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stjepan Hauser</span> Croatian cellist

Stjepan Hauser, known professionally as HAUSER, is a Croatian cellist. He was a member of 2CELLOS, along with Luka Šulić, and continues to perform solo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Cardall</span> American Pianist

Paul Cardall is an American pianist known for his original compositions and arrangements of various hymns. His music is frequently categorized as Classical, Christian and New Age. Cardall has had several recordings debut No. 1 on top Billboard charts.

Alice Marian Robertson Wilson was an American cellist, linguist and teacher most notable role as music editor of the eight-volume Coptic Encyclopedia. She was a daughter of Leroy Robertson and has written scholarly analyses of his works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Boyé</span> British actor and singer (born 1970)

Alex Boyé is a British-American singer, dancer, and actor. He was named the "2017 Rising Artist of the Year" in a contest sponsored by Pepsi and Hard Rock Cafe.

Theme from <i>Mission: Impossible</i> American television theme music

"Theme from Mission: Impossible" is the theme tune of the TV series Mission: Impossible (1966–1973). The theme was written and composed by Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin and has since gone on to appear in several other works of the Mission: Impossible franchise, including the 1988 TV series, the film series, and the video game series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Piano Guys</span> American musical group

The Piano Guys is an American musical group consisting of pianist Jon Schmidt, cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, videographer Paul Anderson, and music producer Al van der Beek. Originating in Utah, they gained popularity through YouTube, where in 2011 they began posting piano and cello compositions combining classical, pop, film score and original music, showcased through elaborate or cinematic videos. As of March 2020 the group had surpassed 2 billion views on their YouTube channel and had 6.7 million subscribers. Their first eight major-label studio albums, The Piano Guys, The Piano Guys 2, A Family Christmas, Wonders, Uncharted, Christmas Together, Limitless, and 10, each reached number one on Billboard Classical Albums or New Age Albums charts.

<i>The Piano Guys</i> (album) 2012 studio album by The Piano Guys

The Piano Guys is the second studio album, and first on a major record label, by American musical group The Piano Guys. It was released on October 2, 2012 through Sony Masterworks. The album is composed primarily of covers and mashups of classical and popular music.

<i>The Piano Guys 2</i> 2013 studio album by The Piano Guys

The Piano Guys 2 is the third studio album by the American musical group The Piano Guys. It was released on May 7, 2013, by Portrait. The album made its chart début at number 38 on the US Billboard 200.

<i>Hits Volume 1</i> 2011 studio album by The Piano Guys

Hits Volume 1 is the debut studio album by American musical group The Piano Guys. It was self-released in December 2011 as a means to distribute high quality audio recordings of their most popular YouTube videos at the time. Many of the songs have since been re-released on The Piano Guys and The Piano Guys 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Heritage Lyceum Philharmonic</span>

The American Heritage Lyceum Philharmonic is an audition-only ensemble for advanced high-school-aged musicians. Students perform masterworks of the repertory alongside sacred music. The Philharmonic was named the "Best Youth Performing Ensemble" by Best of State Utah in 2009 to 2015. Lyceum Philharmonic is one of the nation's premier youth orchestras. Located in American Fork, Utah, the group is led by conductor Kayson Brown.

<i>A Family Christmas</i> 2013 studio album by The Piano Guys

A Family Christmas is the fourth studio album by American musical group The Piano Guys. Released on October 22, 2013 by Portrait, the album reached number 20 on the US Billboard 200. On October 7, 2014 the album was re-released with two additional tracks in two different limited edition versions, one containing a miniature piano Christmas ornament, and the other a miniature cello Christmas ornament.

<i>Wonders</i> (album) 2014 studio album by The Piano Guys

Wonders is the fifth studio album by American musical group The Piano Guys. It was released on October 7, 2014 by Portrait Records. The album reached number 12 on the US Billboard 200, making it their highest charting album to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Lyle Black</span> American musician

Jason Lyle Black is an American pianist, composer, and Billboard-charting artist.

Christoph Raphael Friedwart Croisé is a French-German-Swiss cellist and composer.

<i>Christmas Together</i> (The Piano Guys album) 2017 studio album by The Piano Guys

Christmas Together is the seventh studio album by American musical group The Piano Guys. Released on October 27, 2017, by Portrait, the album reached number 27 on the US Billboard 200. It also topped the Billboard Classical, New Age, and Holiday albums charts. The video for "Angels from the Realms of Glory" broke the largest live nativity world record, with 1,039 people attending.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McBride, Madison (March 10, 2016). "'The Cello Guy' strives to be a missionary to the world". The Daily Universe. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Baker, Celia R. (May 4, 2012). "The Piano Guys: Marketing their music to the online masses". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  3. ↑ Collins, Lois M. (June 8, 2014). "Father knows best: Notable personalities on what they learned from their dads". Deseret News . Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Wadley, Carma (October 8, 2006). "Music is an escape, not a vocation, for cellist". Deseret News. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  5. ↑ Arkell, Ben (November 12, 2017). "Camille Nelson Releases Her Latest Music Video, 'Israel, Israel God Is Calling'". Called to Share. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Basha, Esther (June 22, 2018). "Featured Interview: The Piano Guys – From YouTube to World Tour". Piano Performer Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "University of Utah Alumni Association awards $550,000 in scholarships and honors Piano Guys cellist and U professor (press release)". University of Utah. April 6, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "U. to honor Piano Guys musician, professor". Deseret News . April 6, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  9. ↑ Carma Wadley (November 16, 2008). "Utah pianist, cellist working together to make beautiful music". Deseret News. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  10. ↑ "A-List Performances at the Podium". Manila Bulletin. February 24, 2010.[ dead link ]
  11. 1 2 3 4 Weiss, Geoff (March 27, 2015). "How These Four Dads From Utah Quit Their Day Jobs to Make Millions on YouTube". Entrepreneur . Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Bonfiglio, Jeremy D. (September 22, 2016). "The Piano Guys are doing better than 'Okay'". The Herald-Palladium . Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  13. 1 2 "Jon Schmidt – The Piano Guys' Piano Guy". Yamaha Entertainment Group. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  14. 1 2 della Cava, Marco R. (September 5, 2012). "Web hit Piano Guys sign with Sony". USA Today . Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  15. ↑ Hudy, Stan (August 8, 2018). "Review: A mesmerizing evening with The Piano Guys". The Record . Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Steven Sharp Nelson". Get Song BPM. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  17. ↑ Bowler, Hillary (December 16, 2013). "The Piano Guys: 4 Dads on a Mission". Deseret News. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  18. ↑ Arkell, Ben (2017). "Cellist From The Piano Guys Stars In 'Favorite Video To Date'". Called to Share. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Rewrite the Stars – Violin/Cello Version (from the Greatest Showman) – The Piano Guys". The Piano Guys. 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.