Performed at RockyGrass Bluegrass Festival with legends Tony Trischka, Mike Marshall, Bryan Sutton, Darol Anger, Michael Daves, Andy Hall, and Missy Raines in a set featuring all of us Bluegrass teachers from the groundbreaking instructional website.

All 14 patent claims for my design of an intentional harness to enable a cellist to stand while playing was approved by the US Government.

Directed by Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville (20-Feet from Stardom), I’m honored to be shown few times playing and speaking in this beautiful and moving film tracing the fascinating life stories of some of my colleagues in the Silk Road Ensemble!

I performed an all-cello concert with Yo-Yo Ma, Chicago Symphony cellists John Sharp (Principal), Katinka Kleijn, Richard Hirschl, Loren Brown, as well as Jeffrey Ziegler (Kronos Quartet) and Ashley Bathgate (Bang on a Can All-Stars) in a concert featuring many of my arrangements!

I had the honor of being the first cellist after Yo-Yo Ma to perform the Zhao Lin "Duo concerto" for Cello and Sheng (Chinese traditional wind instrument), along with fellow Silk Road Ensemble member Wu Tong, and Maestro Alistair Willis.  This was my first concerto performance in many years, and I had a wonderful week in Springfield seeing all of the Abraham Lincoln historical sites!  Also, to my knowledge, these were the first concerto performances by a standing cellist :) Click here to watch video.

I was doing a bunch of recording at the end of 2015 for my new album of American folk standards, featuring musicians Darol Anger, Joe Walsh, Stash Wyslouch, Karl Doty, Balla Kouyate, Indrissa Kone, Greg Liszt, and others!  I am excited and grateful that the legendary Club Passim has awarded this project an Iguana Music Fund Grant to support cost of recording at the wonderful Dimension Sound Studios in Boston. 

I spent five months planning the curriculums in multiple styles (Bluegrass, Jazz, Classical), with a comprehensive Beginner Multi-Style curriculum, and a boat load of Intermediate/Advanced Technique videos.  We even have a section on Rhythmic Playing, Chopping and Singing-while-Playing!  I spent 9 LONG days in the studio making this extensive Library, and even got Rushad Eggleston and Jeremy Kittel to join me for a day to record performance versions of most of what I taught.  If all that wasnt enough, the coolest part about ArtistWorks is that I can do 1-on-1 Video Exchanges with my students to still give personalized feedback, and form a close relationship over the long run.  If you, or someone you love, is a cellist, come check it out!!

So I have been working on the design for 2 years, and now The Block Strap is finally available for Pre-Orders, expected to be shipped by May 1st!

At the end of a week long residency Feb 8-12 with the Peoria Symphony in Illinois, I was featured on the hour long WTVP show "SoundBites", playing music from my solo show. Not sure when it will air yet ....