Steven Sharp Nelson is best known for his role as the "Cello Guy" in The Piano Guys, a musical group famous for their unique blend of classical and contemporary music. They’ve released 13 albums, eight of which have reached number one on Billboard’s Classical or New Age Albums charts. The Piano Guys are renowned for performing in breathtaking locations around the world, including atop the Great Wall of China, beside the ruins of Petra, inside the Midway Ice Castles, at the edge of Southern Utah’s red rock cliffs, and in front of the Lincoln Memorial during a presidential inauguration, among many other stunning venues. Their music videos on YouTube have amassed over 2.4 billion views.

Steve, for his part, is a pioneer in “cello-percussion”—think August Rush for the cello. In addition to his accomplishments with The Piano Guys, he’s released three solo albums and holds degrees in music and public administration from the University of Utah. Steve served his mission in both South Korea and New York from 1995-1997.

In this episode, we talk with Steve about his winding road to a musical career, quoting King Benjamin atop Chichén Itzá, the innate value of classical music, how missions promote a deep gratitude for the most basic things of life, relationships forged on and because of the mission, and much more.

Theme Music:

Adventures by A Himitsu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   / a-himitsu  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 

Free Download / Stream:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music released by Argofox⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠    • A Himitsu - Adventures [Royalty Free ...  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music promoted by Audio Library⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠    • Adventures – A Himitsu (No Copyright ...⁠⁠