Cello Fury
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Cello Fury is a
chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
rock group, established in October 2009 in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Pennsylvania. The group consists of Nicole Myers (
cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
), Simon Cummings (cello), Cecilia Caughman (cello) and David Throckmorton (
drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
). Cello Fury presents a fusion of progressive rock and classical music styles and performs for a wide range of audiences.


History

Founding members Nicole Myers, Simon Cummings, and Ben Muñoz met as music students at
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
and
Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group added drummer David Throckmorton and established themselves as Cello Fury in October 2009. Performing almost exclusively original material, the group found immediate success nationwide and in their hometown of Pittsburgh. The group remained in this formation, playing more than 100 shows per year and releasing 3 CDs of original music over the next 10 years. In October 2018, after the release of the band's long-awaited 3rd CD "X," cellist Ben Muñoz left the group to pursue other artistic ventures. Cecilia Caughman, another graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, was brought in to replace Muñoz.


Awards, titles and notable performances

Cello Fury achieved much success in numerous Battle of the Bands competitions. They participated in
Emergenza Emergenza is "the world's largest festival for unsigned bands, with concerts in more than 150 cities around the world." It features "up and coming bands from across the globe."Craig Robinson, "Colchester: Rock Band Stalker Hoping to Land ...
Battle of the Bands and the
John Lennon Educational Tour Bus The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus ("Lennon Bus") was founded in 1998 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization "committed to reaching youth through music and video". While corporately based in New York City, the work is carried out through a travel ...
Battle of the Bands. After winning five rounds of Emergenza, the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
featured the group on their front page. A first place win in the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Battle of the Bands landed Cello Fury a free music video filmed by the foundation. With these successes, several Pittsburgh-based media programs such as
KDKA-TV KDKA-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Jeannette-licensed CW affil ...
's "Pittsburgh Today Live" and
WQED (TV) WQED (channel 13) is a PBS member television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Owned by WQED Multimedia, it is sister to public radio station WQED-FM (89.3). The two outlets share studios on Fifth Avenue near the Carnegie Me ...
's Holiday Jam, as well as their radio stations, featured the ensemble. The
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
, Pittsburgh's "City Guide" and the Indie magazine, "Vents Magazine" featured Cello Fury on their front pages. These titles brought Cello Fury much publicity and opportunity. Cello Fury appeared with the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Sy ...
POPS, conducted by
Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " EGOT ...
. By December 2009, Cello Fury performed at the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
vs.
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
' half time show at
Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panth ...
. Cello Fury performed three sold out shows at the Byham Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA on New Year's Eve 2012. Although based in Pittsburgh, Cello Fury performs across the country in venues located throughout 28 states. They perform at several music and art festivals across America, such as Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA, the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh, PA, Paper City Music Festival in Chillicothe, OH, the New River Festival in West Virginia, and three separate appearances (2015, 2017, 2019) at the annual East Shore Park Club Summer Concert Series in Cleveland, OH. Cello Fury also appeared at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in March 2013 and 2014. In addition to traveling the country, Cello Fury traveled to Italy in 2010 to premiere Efrain Amaya's opera, "La Bisbetica Domata", as solo instrumentalists. Cello Fury also performs at colleges and universities throughout the mid-Atlantic states, including Dartmouth College, Penn State University, and Oberlin College. Cello Fury endorses Thomastik-Infeld Strings. Besides performing, Cello Fury actively participates in outreach events and programs targeted toward young musicians. They were on the roster for the "Gateway to the Arts", a non-profit program that used to sponsor musicians to educate students in the arts until the program lost its funding. In addition, the band performs outreach concerts for "Class Acts Arts" in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C and for "Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania". In addition to their contribution to "Gateway to the Arts", Cello Fury founded an annual strings rock camp in 2009 and taught at "Summers Dreamers" camp held at numerous
Pittsburgh public schools Pittsburgh Public Schools is the public school district serving the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (except for two small parts served by the Baldwin-Whitehall School District) and adjacent Mount Oliver. As of the 2021–2022 school year, the ...
during the summer months. Cello Fury's music has been commissioned and featured by several modern dance companies, including Texture Contemporary Ballet, Bodiography Contemporary Ballet and at the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden, Germany.


Members

* Simon Cummings (cello/composer): Cummings is a graduate of Pittsburgh High school for Creative And Performing Arts. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University. He also composes and arranges the group's repertoire. * Cecilia Caughman (cello): Caughman received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her Master of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University. * Nicole Myers (cello): Myers received both her Master of Music and
Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...
' degrees in Cello Performance from
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
. *David Throckmorton (drums): Throckmorton additionally performs with several ensembles and bands both in and outside of Pittsburgh area.


Discography

* X (2018) *Symphony of Shadows (2013) * Cello Fury (2011) * Cello Fury collaborated with
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
flutist, Steven Schultz on composer and professor, Nancy Galbraith's album "Other Sun" (2011).Williams, 2012.


Videos


Against All Odds

Infinity Rises


References


External links


Official Website

Facebook Page
{{authority control Chamber music groups Musical groups from Pittsburgh Musical groups established in 2004 2004 establishments in Pennsylvania