I believe that everybody and everything has a story – which I try to share at every opportunity I can. I began my journey in St. Louis and my first memories are being surrounded not by music, but rather by BOOKS at an early age. This was due to my mom being a librarian, and my first forms of entertainment being reading. I was enchanted by the worlds created by different authors who captivated my imagination.
Sorry Peter, your book “How to Read the Financial Pages” was not the most inspiring thing I read, but it made for an amusing photo!
Soon to follow were musical sounds as my father had been an accomplished jazz saxophone player. To hear the way he would improvise, made me realize that music is truly a unique language, and one that I had to learn. Messages, secrets, and ideas can be communicated through music, in ways that ordinary speech cannot realize. In addition, I was fortunate that he had an interest in classical music, as he took me to many St. Louis Symphony Concerts, where I discovered the music that I would become infatuated with. At one such concert, I heard Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and that is what sparked my imagination - music could be so vibrant and alive, just like the books I enjoyed reading! I could see and hear every different character as the symphony played. I soon found out that the original version of this piece was for solo piano, and my mind was made up – I had discovered that worlds existed and could be born under my fingers. Obviously as a kid, even though I enjoyed this masterpiece, I was wondering where the PICTURES were! Nearly two decades later, I would realize one of my dream projects during the pandemic: a multimedia event featuring the art BEHIND and the music OF Mussorgsky’s creation.
Most of my early concerts were not in auditoriums but rather in different nursing/retirement homes, and care facilities. With my father playing the flute, we would share the music we loved with the surrounding community in holiday events, traditional concerts, and more. It was through these events that I saw the true healing power that music has, which became the purpose of why I create art. It also was meaningful to have fun playing music with my family, with my brother on the drums occasionally, in trio concerts spanning classical, jazz, and contemporary styles. I learned early on that music was FUN and playing the piano quite literally meant just that: PLAY!
I spent many years with my first formative teacher, Zena Ilyashov, who till this day still inspires me. Her approach to music was most admirable: while we must work and be determined in the practice room, on stage we are obligated be courageous, and give everything to the audience. Never fear mistakes, just think about the communication and connection that develops from the moment I take my first step into the public.
After 16 years, and a truncated high school experience of 1.5 years, I decided to move to New York City, where I attended the Manhattan School of Music studying with Andre-Michel Schub.
These would be incredibly transformative years – having such a generous and supportive teacher, being in the hotbed of art, around more people than I had ever seen, and hearing some of the most talented people on the planet. I developed friendships and relationships that will last me the rest of my life.
Through some of my friends in New York, Andrew and Molly, I became involved as an artist for Project: Music Heals Us, a non-profit organization that presents interactive classical music performances to diverse audiences. Our mission is to provide encouragement, education, and healing with a focus on elderly, disabled, rehabilitating, incarcerated, and homeless populations. Many of these concerts were some of the most meaningful I have ever given.
But, one of my great pleasures was performing several concerts at the Virginia Arts Festival in 2018 with Mr. Schub, centered around Mozart’s music: his Double and Triple Piano concertos, and in recital. As one reviewer wrote: “Cheli delivered one brilliant performance...it was a dazzling moment by a pianist whose name is destined for Schub-ian heights.” (Virginia Gazette). Indeed, one of the most flattering comments I have received.
I spent 2 years at Yale University where I studied with the esteemed Peter Frankl in his final years there. Sharing music and knowledge was such a joy for Mr. Frankl, and I will always carry his remarkable optimism and joy for life with me. I continued to hone my craft and became fascinated with a new interest in my life: recording. I always compare the recording process to painting. Live performance is like if a painter would paint his art in front of an audience with all the pressure that comes with it. Recording is like a painter being able to meticulously choose each shade of color, and contour, with a free range of time and the ability to focus on detail in unprecedented ways. I love both sides of the creation process and think there is a time and place for each.
I then moved completely across the country to Los Angeles, where I attended the incomparable Colburn School, with the magnificent Fabio Bidini as my mentor. What I found in Fabio was a musician who lived for his art and knew of only one way to work: being absolutely committed to every aspect of what you do. It was inspirational to say the least, culminating in several recording projects, the most notable a 2nd CD on the Naxos label of Liszt’s Schubert Transcriptions. Produced and engineered by Fabio, and me as soloist on the piano, we worked together to bring this passion project to life. The music had never been recorded before, but as I was turning the pages and hearing these sounds for the first time, I was in shock. It was breathtaking, and Fabio quickly became the one equally stunned. One of the saving graces during the isolation of the pandemic was that Fabio and I had time and the ability to safely spend hours editing and crafting this CD into a world of bliss for us. I am so happy to now be able to share it with everyone else now!
(smiling faces after finishing the recording!)
One of the most important moments of my career was when I won 1st prize at the 2017 Concert Artists Guild in New York City.
As a result, my performing career took a different trajectory. I gave my Carnegie Hall debut recital in 2018 and have since appeared with orchestras and at festivals across the world, such as the Ravinia, Mostly Mozart, Virginia Arts, and Aspen festivals, and with the San Diego, Indianapolis, Princeton, Sarasota Orchestras, among others.
One concert that was quite meaningful to me was my debut performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Colburn Orchestra in 2018. At the time, I was a student at Colburn, and to share the stage with all my friends and colleagues was exhilarating. The LA Times described the concert as “mesmerizing, (Cheli) transfixed the audience...his fingers were one with each key.”
In Los Angeles I came to discover the Recovered Voices Initiative - a unique organization that encourages greater awareness and more frequent performances of music by composers whose careers and lives were disrupted - or worse - during the years of the Nazi regime in Europe.
This organization is a dream to work with because it combines so many of my interests: my love for history, discovering forgotten or hidden musical gems, telling the stories of people whose lives were so tragically cut short, and opening people’s eyes to an entirely new world of art. With a 7-part documentary series scheduled for November 2021, and multiple CD releases planned, I am featured as performer, lecturer, and the primary music audio editor. It has been so fulfilling to find great music lost to time and bring it to audiences who can immediately appreciate it and want to learn more!
Other work that I have done that is no less important is in various roles as Composer, Arranger, Audio Editor, Videographer, and director. I composed original music and was a performer for a recent documentary entitled “Defying Gravity” (2021) which explores artist’s new relationships with their work and the creative process because of the pandemic. Featuring the sculptures and drawings of Stephen Talasnik, music of Mahler, Bach, and Cheli, it is a beautiful film examining the intersection of multi-disciplinary art, and the unexpected beauties that arise.
With a fascination and appreciation for the benefits of technology especially in our new virtual age, I was appointed LIVE Director of Tonebase Piano in 2021. As a result, I am both the host and presenter of numerous virtual lectures, performances and workshops each
month to the 4,000+ subscribers on the platform. Our mission is to share personal knowledge and invite guests to democratize high-level music education, allowing everyone to learn from and be inspired by the best!
(Photo from an event Live from our studio in Los Angeles!)
When not busy with all the activities that I have already talked about, I enjoy training for Ironman triathlons. I have raced in Florida, Missouri, California and Texas and enjoy the process of preparing for ultra-endurance events, and the similarities to preparing for concerts (musicians are fine-motor athletes, after all!)
You might be thinking how I have energy for all this! Well, I have to eat, and that’s my 2nd passionate hobby – cooking! I particularly enjoy working with fire and have occasionally been hailed as a “grillmaster” (quote attributed given by various friends) from time to time. One of my most treasured pieces of critical acclaim! If I am not serving you a musical performance, I am equally excited to serve you a meal!
