The Piano Guys The Piano Guys

• 1 Titanium / Pavane 04:49
• 2 Peponi (Paradise) 04:11
• 3 Code Name Vivaldi 04:05
• 4 Beethoven's 5 Secrets 05:09
• 5 Over the Rainbow / Simple Gifts 03:43
• 6 Cello Wars 03:31
• 7 Arwen's Vigil 03:55
• 8 Moonlight 03:26
• 9 A Thousand Years 04:36
• 10 Michael Meets Mozart 05:18
• 11 The Cello Song 03:15
• 12 Rolling in the Deep 03:51
• 13 What Makes You Beautiful 02:53
• 14 Bring Him Home 04:14
• 15 Without You 03:36
• 16 Nearer My God to Thee 03:00
• Total Runtime 01:03:32

Info for The Piano Guys

For many years Jon Schmidt (pianist) and Steven Sharp Nelson (cellist) had their separate music careers – each with their own countless stage performances and multiple Billboard-charting albums. Over the past few years it’s been difficult to find them apart, due the demand of audiences worldwide to see them together. Their musical chemistry, stage-spontaneity, and collaborative arrangements are incomparable. For the first time ever they have created a full-length, joint album—comprised of all their big hits on YouTube released in the first six months of joining “The Piano Guys.” Jon and Steve have created a new genre of music – piano and cello music, but like you’ve never heard them before—from the innovative classical / hip-hop Michael Meets Mozart to the beautifully-emotive Bring Him Home; cool covers that reinvent artists such as Adele and David Guetta; and fresh classical remakes that pay an edgy tribute to the greatest composers, such as Bach and Beethoven. Call it what you will, this music is most often described not by placing it in a “category” of music, but rather simply with one adjective. Inspiring.

Gifted cellist Steven Sharp Nelson has thrilled audiences with his passionate playing and appeared on more than a dozen award winning cds. In his solo debut, Steven Sharp Nelson presents a powerful collection of memorable pieces tenderly arranged for cello. Also, featuring timeless performances with Jon Schmidt, Peter Breinholt, David Tolk, Marshall McDonald, and Paul Cardall. Songs include: Unaccompanied Cello Suite No 1 in G Major: Prelude, Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, All Creatures of Our God and King, and many others.

Steven Sharp Nelson, cello
Jon Schmidt, piano

The Piano Guys
It all started in a piano store in a little Southern Utah town called Saint George. Paul Anderson, the store’s owner, was looking for a new, unconventional way to market pianos. The name of the piano store? The Piano Guys.

Paul embarked upon a self-guided study of social marketing and started a YouTube channel and a Facebook page. He had seen videos “go viral” and was fascinated by this exponential phenomenon. He set out to engage potential customers with music videos that were entertaining and that showcased the pianos he had in his store – envisioning “viral videos” doing his marketing for him. Paul was an ambitious, talented risk taker and felt inspired that if he could find the right people to work with he could create the number one music video channel in the world.

In walked Jon Schmidt. Literally. Jon had built a career in solo piano performance and had a concert in the St. George area. He asked Paul if he could practice on one of the store’s pianos in preparation for his gig that night. Paul explained his idea to Jon and asked if he would be willing to be in a video promoting both the store and Jon’s music. It was a win-win. Jon brought so much to the table. He had experienced the “music business” first hand. He had a gift for combining multiple genres of music in such an entertaining way that he had captivated and captured a broad, substantial fan base.

Enter Steven Sharp Nelson. When Steve was 15 years old he met Jon when they had shared the stage at a concert in which they were both performing. Steve started joining Jon at more and more of his concerts. This rapidly grew into a great friendship and a complementary stage chemistry that had audiences in stiches and in tears in two songs or less. Steve was a multi-instrumentalist that had pioneered a new approach to the cello and to song writing. And his ADHD-fueled creative mind contained a queue of song and video ideas waiting to be produced. Then came Al van der Beek. Al showed up on Steve’s doorstep to help when Steve was moving in just down the street. Al had heard Steve was a musician and he invited his new neighbor to his home where he housed a decked-out studio. Steve and Al began writing tunes together and discovered a supernatural songwriting partnership. Al’s studio and his engineering skills were to become the most important music-writing tool for The Piano Guys, except of course for Al himself, whose innate ability for songwriting had an essential sleek edge to it.

Meanwhile, back at the piano store, employee Tel Stewart, who started as a piano mover, was just completing a degree in videography. His videography and editing skills rounded out TPG’s beginnings and made it possible to include special effects like the “Steve clones” and lightsaber cello bows! Jeremy Crawford, who also worked at the store, was arguably the best and most fearless piano mover in the world (at least as far as we know!) Without Jeremy, our Piano Stunt Coordinator, no one would have ever asked the question that we get so often, “How the heck did they get the piano up there?” Jeremy also stepped up to fill an important operations role as TPG grew so fast we couldn’t keep up. Shaye Scott, a friend of Paul’s, jumped onboard during the genesis of TPG and lent tremendous videography talent – a natural ability to capture the grandeur of nature, where most of TPG videos are filmed. Shaye’s entrepreneurial talent also ably aided the business side of TPG behind the scenes.

Our story is a miracle. We’re just a bunch of ordinary “guys” playing classically influenced instrumental music in videos that showcase incredible locations. And we’re doing well on YouTube?? There are so many coincidences that the summation of each circumstance transcends “happenstance.” We do not take credit for our successes. We cannot. To do so would defy reason. We thank God, our families, and the people who have supported us by sharing our videos, purchasing our music, and encouraging us through comments and messages. Our mission will always be to produce music videos that inspire, uplift, and make the world a better place. If we can make a positive impact in even one person’s life it has all been worth it to us.

This album contains no booklet.