Politixia
SINGAPORE – American classical musicians and YouTube stars The Piano Guys have made videos of themselves playing at iconic locations such as the Great Wall of China and in the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico.
If they had their way, their next performance location would be at one of Singapore’s most recognisable locations.
Cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, 45, says in a recent Zoom interview: “One of these days, we’ve got to put a piano and cello on top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel, right on that endless (infinity) pool that sits there and drips off into nothing.”
The Piano Guys – which also comprise pianist Jon Schmidt, 56 – are indeed heading back to Singapore for a show, but their Tuesday gig will take place at a more traditional concert venue – The Star Theatre.
It is a stage the Utah-based duo are familiar with – they played there back in 2013, 2015 and 2018.
Nelson, who is looking forward to being back, says: “Singapore is one of our all-time favourite places to be. It was really one of the most important places for us since the beginning of The Piano Guys in terms of an international location.”
He fondly recalls their first time at The Star Theatre, where they ended up spending three hours after the concert meeting fans and taking photos with them.
“We just love the warmth of the Singaporean people. We love the beauty of the country, and we absolutely love chilli and black pepper crab.”
Like in the 2018 show, they are looking for local musicians to open their concert.
In February, concert organisers LAMC announced a contest for musicians from music school Yamaha for that particular reason.
Nelson says the idea to have Singaporeans perform came from LAMC co-founder Lauretta Alabons, whom he calls “one of our favourite promoters”.
“We love the idea of supporting local musicians – that’s a really critical aspect of our show.”
Known for playing classical renditions of pop and rock hits from singers and bands such as Christina Perri, OneRepublic and Coldplay, The Piano Guys gained fame in 2011 when their YouTube videos started going viral. Their channel now boasts 7.06 million subscribers and more than 2.2 billion views.
