Zoe Keating

The house lights dim in the concert hall and the crowd falls silent. Zoe Keating enters onto stage, cello in hand, exposed to the black void of the faceless crowd. The silence grips her like first frost. She shakes uncontrollably and can't breathe, the powerful stage fright takes hold and her bow falls from her hand onto the hardwood stage. 

Zoe has been playing cello since she was eight years old. She has played for numerous bands and soundtracks, but to me she's not just a cellist. Zoe plays her Cello differently. She uses looping software to duplicate herself so she can create different layers of sound and rhythm. She doesn't just play the cello, she's tamed it like a wild animal. She taps it and rubs it as a percussion instrument, she detunes it to make it sound demented and she beats her hand at just the right spot to get a bassy heartbeat out of it.  

She's got over her stage fright of her early years, but her attitude remains somewhat timid and humble.