At the Boston Music Project, we are proud to have an exceptional team with a diverse background of teaching and performance experiences. When our Teaching Artists are not teaching music lessons, they are pursuing their own professional careers as active performers, composers, music producers, dancers, and the list goes on.
We would like to spotlight a member of the BMP Teaching Artist family, Nathaniel Taylor. Nathaniel received his B.M., Graduate Performance Diploma, and Professional Studies Certificate from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he studied with cellist Rhonda Rider. He is quickly establishing himself as a passionate and charismatic performer with a variety of solo, chamber, and orchestral music engagements across the United States. Having appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras and winning two competitions, he is also equally at home performing chamber music.
When asked about what inspired him to play the cello, Nathaniel credits watching Sesame Street when he was five years old.
“Elmo walked on screen with a violin. He attempted to play a scale, and immediately I started yelling out of anger and threw a pillow at the TV. Even at the age of 5, I was already emotionally independent, and pretty savage. Then another person walked on screen, with what I thought was a big violin at the time. Sure enough, it was Yo-Yo Ma and he wanted to show Elmo what a cello looked like and how it sounded. Just the size of the instrument alone caught my eye. Then he played the opening of the Dvorak Cello Concerto for Elmo, and it was at that moment that I decided to be a cellist.”
Recently, Nathaniel collaborated on a virtual project with Yo-Yo Ma involving African-American spirituals.
“I introduced Yo-Yo to spirituals earlier this year, and he wanted to collaborate with me on ‘Nobody Knows de Trouble I’ve Seen,’ which is one of my favorite spirituals.”
You can watch this captivating performance below as part of “Sounds of Celebration: An Evening at Home with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra”
Another recent endeavor for Nathaniel is co-founding the Polaris Orchestra, which is an ensemble dedicated to diversifying classical music by engaging the community through performances and programming, educational opportunities and cultural affirmation. Check out this innovative ensemble and learn more about their mission here.
To learn more about Nathaniel, we invite you to read his full biography on our Teaching Artists page.