Computing Cellist comes to the Bishop

by Alyssa Schor

Known for layering her cello music through live-recorded samples, composer and cellist Zoe Keating said her career has followed the rise of computing.

The San Francisco-based artist  creates her sound using foot controls on her laptop.  Born in Ontario,she began playing the cello when 8-years-old and earned a liberal arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College in New York.

“I kept playing music all the time,” Keating said. “Using the computer was natural for me to do because I used it on an everyday basis.”

After college, Keating worked for a software startup company. In 2003, she quit her job to dedicate herself to music. She said being around computers made her think about how to incorporate her music with technology.

“I sort of realized that time was passing,” Keating said.

Keating has performed with Imogen Heap, Tears for Fears and Amanda Palmer, among other artists.

She is also known for selling her music without the backing of a record label and has sold more than 60,000 copies of her albums on the Internet.

“It just seemed like the easiest way to accomplish what I wanted to do,” she said. “I don’t know if I’d have it any other way.”

Keating’s do-it-yourself approach to her music has given her national attention and press.

She has released two albums and one EP, and her music has been featured in films, television commercials, dance pieces and a play, according to her website. In 2011, she was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and was featured on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”

Keating said though she wouldn’t mind more staff to help her with the business aspects, overall, she is happy performing as a solo artist.

“I love performing and that feeling with the stage,” she said. “You’re creating a moment that’ll never happen again.”

Keating will perform at the Bishop Bar Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for $20.
Keating said this is her first solo appearance in Bloomington, although she performed in town in 2004 with cello-rock group Rasputina.

The show is the result of a Facebook poll, Keating said. She had asked fans where they wanted to see her perform in any city within 500 miles of Cincinnati. Bloomington finished among the top choices.

“I’m really curious to meet the people who wanted me to come there,” Keating said.
Saturday’s performance is Keating’s last stop on her winter tour before she travels to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting.

Dan Coleman, a talent buyer at the Bishop, said Keating’s style of combined genres makes for a great show.

“She’s a very talented cellist and a great improviser,” he said. “It’s going to be a very unique experience.”  

--aischor@indiana.edu
Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @SchorAlyssa.