I admire Zoe Keating’s music as much as I admire her story.

I stumbled upon the music in a morning iTunes search for something new. First I found One Cello x 16: Natoma and then I quickly picked up Into the Trees as well.

What makes the music so noteworthy? It’s lyrical without words, modern yet timeless, it is a passionate, beautifully orchestrated dance of dark and light themes. More pragmatically it is one artist playing her cello into her computer multiple times and then creating wonderfully layered, complex and moving compositions.

What is her story? Passionate about the cello, professionally she went from clerk, to web programmer, to professional musician, the last of which was done without a big marketing push from a record label. She was discovered by one fan at a time through iTunes and other avenues. For more read this inspiring Mercury News article.

Spectacular!