Nathan Chan

I am pleased to announce that String Theory, Columbia University's premier cello ensemble, have now released "Viva La Vida" for 5 Cellos on iTunes and Spotify!!! We have been working on this for a couple of months now, and this release really represents a milestone for the pop-classical fusion ensemble. Featuring Corinna Boylan, Justin Zhao, Maddie Tucker, myself and Steven Bennett, we are proud to share this momentous occasion with you!

We recorded the song at Columbia University in one night using a friend's microphone and Garageband. We really liked the way it sounded. We refined and refined and what you hear is the final product we all agreed sounded incredible. Our good friend Jackie Ho designed the incredible album artwork. Hats off to her for creating such a stunning image featuring a picture of our cellos!

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/viva-la-vida-single/id515318979

Spotify: String Theory – Viva La Vida

CHECK IT OUT NOW!

And for those of you wondering, a music video is in the works!

Stay tuned!

Ah so let me tell you the story of how this happened. My friend and I brought cellos into the Upper West Side Apple Store in New York City after a rehearsal at Juilliard. My friend had just bought an iPhone 4S and she was looking to buy a case. We finally picked one out and while checking out, an employee saw our cellos and said he would give us a iPhone 4S case for free if I played the cello. I called his bluff, and this is what happened.

Unfortunately, just as I started playing, he said "Wait, no I can't actually give you the case!" But I said, "I don't care!" and kept playing on! I didn't actually have a camera on me at the time, but a Genius Bar employee came downstairs from the first floor and started recording me on his iPhone! He sent me the footage later in an email and then I uploaded the footage just for you guys on YouTube!

Every person has their idols: the people they look up to. One of mine was Steve Jobs. He was a leader, an innovator, a game changer, and someone I deeply respected. One might ask, "why would a musician look up to a businessman?" I believe there are some universal characteristics that make incredible people who they are and what they represent. When someone is passionate for the love of their craft, you can tell and you can feel it in your bones and your core. Steve Jobs resonated with my core in that I saw these things so intensely in his soul. 

In many ways, his presence on earth helped shape me. I became fascinated with technology and liberal arts because of him. My presence on the internet would not have existed without his inspiration and my subsequent motivation to go out and change the world. 

Because of these things, I choose to pay tribute to Steve Jobs in the way I know best: through music. Bach's Cello Suite No. 5 - Sarabande.