Steven Sharp Nelson Biography
Steven Sharp Nelson is an American Cellist and songwriter best known as ‘The Cello Guy’. Many at times, he performs Classical and new-age song genres with the musical group ‘The Piano Guys’.
As a solo artist, he has 3 albums to his credit whereas, with The Piano Guys, he has released eight number-one albums and several music videos. Besides the cello, he also plays drums and piano.
Steven Sharp Nelson Age
He was born on 5th July 1977 in Salt Lake City in Utah in the United States. As of 2019, he is 42 years old.
Steven Sharp Nelson Family
Steven was born to John C. Nelson. His mother’s name is unknown, however, we do know that she was a former professional opera singer. He has a younger sister Camille Nelson, a folk musician. His wife is only known by her first name, Julie. They currently live in Salt Lake City with their four children.
In 2017, he performed a duet together with his daughter Lucy singing in the One Voice Children’s Choir’s music video of “Only Hope”. In 2018 he performed with his wife on violin in a cover of “Rewrite the Stars”.
Steven Sharp Nelson Career
At age 7, his father decided that each of his children would learn how to play an instrument that was invented before 1800. He started by trying the violin with Kate Reaves and later Ryan Selberg tutoring him. At the time he had ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Because of this, he had a very small attention span.
To curb his disorder, he started practicing with several other instruments as well. Years later, this practice was what led him to become a great cellist. He was able to develop creative ways to play the cello including strumming it, banging it and using pizzicato much more aggressively using my thumb, fist, fingernail, and palm. Also, he started playing with many different musical groups.
Steven Sharp Nelson Education
In 2002, Steven earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the University of Utah. In 2007, 5 years after, he got his master’s degree in public administration and also a graduate certificate in Urban Planning.
Steven Sharp Nelson Solo Work
At first, Steven started pursuing a career as a real estate agent. On the side, he would play the cello to accompany local musicians both on stage and in the studio. In this time, his music was more of an ‘escape’ for him than it was work. He worked with several musicians including pianists and guitarists.
Years before, in 1999, he had signed a contract with Stone Angel Music. He released his first album solo in 2006 titled ‘Sacred Cello’. The album was featured on the Billboard charts top 20 classical recordings. He also got a Pearl Award for Best Instrumental Classical Album. His other albums are ‘Tender Mercies’ released in 2008, and ‘Christmas Cello’ released in 2010.
Steven Sharp Nelson The Piano Guys
Steven joined the Piano Guys in 2011. The group was founded by Paul Andreson. Soon after, the group garnered widespread recognition following the release of their song “Michael Meets Mozart” that same year. The performance video featured Nelson playing 100 cello tracks to achieve the final effect. He also performed Cello Wars and Beethoven’s 5 Secrets which debuted at #1 on YouTube charts.
In 2012, the group signed with Sony Masterworks. They then quit their independent jobs to work as full-time artists. Over the next couple of years, they released 8 number-one albums. As of July 2019, they have garnered over 1.6 billion views and 6.5 million subscribers on YouTube.
Steven Sharp Nelson Discography
Solo albums
- Sacred Cello (2006)
- Tender Mercies (2008)
- Christmas Cello (2010)
The Piano Guys
- Hits Volume 1 (2011)
- The Piano Guys (2012)
- The Piano Guys 2 (2013)
- A Family Christmas (2013)
- Wonders (2014)
- Live!: Carnegie Hall Audio + Red Rocks Concert Video (2015)
- Uncharted (2016)
- Christmas Together (2017)
- Limitless (2018)
Steven Sharp Nelson Pens Heartfelt Blog Post to Friend Jon Schmidt
Sharp Nelson posted a tribute to his friend and bandmate Jon Schmidt in the wake of the disappearance of Schmidt’s daughter Annie. In the post, Nelson wrote about helping his friend search for his daughter in a vast area where everything seemed to look the same.
“I can’t adequately express the anguish I felt as I watched my friend, my brother, run upriver, fighting against an ice-cold current, shouting his daughter’s name at the stoic riverbanks on each side straining his voice above the din of the white water,” wrote Nelson in the post.
Nelson said he started to feel angry that despite the diligent efforts and prayers of so many, they were still unable to find Annie, but Schmidt was calmer.
“I’ve known Jon now for over 20 years,” said Nelson. “When you share the stage with someone you learn a great deal about his character. He is a model man, friend, husband, and father. His faith is like an endlessly rushing river that carves out obstinate shores of despair and flows around imposing rocks of doubt.”
Nelson said his life has been changed by Schmidt’s empathy and that Schmidt helped him to cope with the loss of his mother a few years back.
“Jon is no stranger to struggle,” Nelson wrote in the post. “It’s how he has earned his empathy. He has also taught me that tragedy shakes off our shackles of petty concern, allowing us to sweat off the small stuff. This softening is one of the enduring purposes of hardship. And as we are softened, our hearts open up to house faith in eternal purposes that can’t readily be seen.”
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