The Piano Guys are a four-member team: pianist Jon Schmidt, cello player Steven Sharp Nelson, videographer and video producer Paul Anderson, and songwriter/production expert Al Van Der Beek. Nelson and Schmidt are classical musicians who got started in a small town in Utah, where Anderson had a piano shop. In order to sell musical instruments, the four made intriguing videos of themselves in various locations, playing their own versions of film soundtracks, classical pieces, pop songs, and more. They posted the videos on YouTube, and—to their great surprise—they went viral.
The videos are shot with skill and humor, and have now been viewed over one billion times. Among the favorites are “Cello Wars (Star Wars Parody) Lightsaber Duel,” and their cover of “Paradise” by Coldplay. They embraced their unexpected stardom, and have now released six albums, and made a special for PBS, as well as touring live. They were last in Anchorage in 2014.
A review says:
“It was really a fun concert, I would always recommend the Piano Guys for their great performance!”
The Piano Guys will appear at the Atwood Concert Hall on September 26 for two performances, one at 2:00 pm and the second at 7:30 pm. The performance has been rescheduled from an earlier date. Brochure printing can be used to create programs for this type of event.