A New Era: The Inaugural Concert
Featuring Steven Sharp Nelson from the Piano Guys
Date & Time
Fri, Sep 18, 2026 · 7:30PM
Venue
America First Performing Arts Center
325 S. 700 E., St. George, UT 84770
A New Era: The Inaugural Concert
Featuring Steven Sharp Nelson from the Piano Guys
Date & Time
Fri, Sep 18, 2026 · 7:30PM
Venue
America First Performing Arts Center
325 S. 700 E., St. George, UT 84770
Concert Overview
A New Home. A Legacy Continued. A Historic Night.
Ten years ago, the Southwest Symphony began a new chapter under the baton of Maestro Lucas Darger. This season, that journey reaches a milestone as we return to our newly renovated home at the America First Performing Arts Center. This inaugural performance doesn't just open a season; it opens a new chapter for the arts in Southern Utah.
Be among the first to experience the breathtaking acoustics of the hall as we officially cut the ribbon on this world-class stage. We are thrilled to be joined by global sensation Steven Sharp Nelson of The Piano Guys for a performance that bridges the gap between classical tradition and modern innovation.
From the iconic power of Beethoven’s Fifth and the 1812 Overture to the electric energy of "Secrets" and "Kung Fu Panda," this concert is a celebration of where we’ve been and where we are going. It is an evening that embodies the heart and soul of the Southwest Symphony. Join us as we celebrate ten seasons of music and the beginning of a bold new era.
Featured Artist
Steven Sharp Nelson, Cello
Steven Sharp Nelson is an award-winning, Billboard-charting, YouTube rock star (in a cellist sort of way). His passion for music is palpable. His music invites people in – people from all different walks of life and tastes. He has inspired millions through his music, awakening a new-found love for the cello or classical music, rekindling a forgotten passion, or showing, by example, how to simply smile in order to enjoy life more fully.
Steven plays many instruments and combines multiple elements from these instruments, most notably guitar and percussion, into an innovative and revolutionary way of playing the cello. He is broadly considered a pioneer in exploring the versatility of the instrument. In addition to his cello prowess he is an award-winning composer, arranger, and entertainer. He has toured the globe performing his works.
In 2011, Steven joined “The Piano Guys” and now enjoys confusing everyone that wonders why a cellist is called a “piano guy.” Whenever he goes to the airport and checks in with his multiple cello cases he inevitably is asked, “Hey, what band are you in?” … [awkward silence].
Despite this perplexity, Steven couldn’t be happier using everything God has given him to write music and produce videos with The Piano Guys. Nearly every sound you hear as you listen to TPG’s music was created by a wood, carbon fiber, steel, or electric cello – often modified from its typical state or tuning. To date, he has invented dozens of cello textures that have never before been heard – the sound of a trombone or an oboe, a Chinese fiddle, an Indian sitar, a saxophone, a kick drum, a snare drum, a timpani…Steven has spent countless hours creating sounds that are familiar, but completely unique – and all with a signature cello-continuity.
Most importantly, Steven subscribes to Johann Sebastian Bach’s mantra: music is for the Glory of God and for the enlivening of the soul. He also believes that, as Beethoven once said, “Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” His performances are an incomparable mix of soaring melodies, infectious rhythm, and laughter. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and insists that no musician should. He draws his inspiration from a firm belief in a loving God, two incredible parents that have sacrificed so much to offer him the opportunities he enjoys today, and most of all an amazing wife and four cute-as-can-be children.
Steven plays many instruments and combines multiple elements from these instruments, most notably guitar and percussion, into an innovative and revolutionary way of playing the cello. He is broadly considered a pioneer in exploring the versatility of the instrument. In addition to his cello prowess he is an award-winning composer, arranger, and entertainer. He has toured the globe performing his works.
In 2011, Steven joined “The Piano Guys” and now enjoys confusing everyone that wonders why a cellist is called a “piano guy.” Whenever he goes to the airport and checks in with his multiple cello cases he inevitably is asked, “Hey, what band are you in?” … [awkward silence].
Despite this perplexity, Steven couldn’t be happier using everything God has given him to write music and produce videos with The Piano Guys. Nearly every sound you hear as you listen to TPG’s music was created by a wood, carbon fiber, steel, or electric cello – often modified from its typical state or tuning. To date, he has invented dozens of cello textures that have never before been heard – the sound of a trombone or an oboe, a Chinese fiddle, an Indian sitar, a saxophone, a kick drum, a snare drum, a timpani…Steven has spent countless hours creating sounds that are familiar, but completely unique – and all with a signature cello-continuity.
Most importantly, Steven subscribes to Johann Sebastian Bach’s mantra: music is for the Glory of God and for the enlivening of the soul. He also believes that, as Beethoven once said, “Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” His performances are an incomparable mix of soaring melodies, infectious rhythm, and laughter. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and insists that no musician should. He draws his inspiration from a firm belief in a loving God, two incredible parents that have sacrificed so much to offer him the opportunities he enjoys today, and most of all an amazing wife and four cute-as-can-be children.
Featured Artist
Steven Sharp Nelson, Cello
Steven Sharp Nelson is an award-winning, Billboard-charting, YouTube rock star (in a cellist sort of way). His passion for music is palpable. His music invites people in – people from all different walks of life and tastes. He has inspired millions through his music, awakening a new-found love for the cello or classical music, rekindling a forgotten passion, or showing, by example, how to simply smile in order to enjoy life more fully.
Steven plays many instruments and combines multiple elements from these instruments, most notably guitar and percussion, into an innovative and revolutionary way of playing the cello. He is broadly considered a pioneer in exploring the versatility of the instrument. In addition to his cello prowess he is an award-winning composer, arranger, and entertainer. He has toured the globe performing his works.
In 2011, Steven joined “The Piano Guys” and now enjoys confusing everyone that wonders why a cellist is called a “piano guy.” Whenever he goes to the airport and checks in with his multiple cello cases he inevitably is asked, “Hey, what band are you in?” … [awkward silence].
Despite this perplexity, Steven couldn’t be happier using everything God has given him to write music and produce videos with The Piano Guys. Nearly every sound you hear as you listen to TPG’s music was created by a wood, carbon fiber, steel, or electric cello – often modified from its typical state or tuning. To date, he has invented dozens of cello textures that have never before been heard – the sound of a trombone or an oboe, a Chinese fiddle, an Indian sitar, a saxophone, a kick drum, a snare drum, a timpani…Steven has spent countless hours creating sounds that are familiar, but completely unique – and all with a signature cello-continuity.
Most importantly, Steven subscribes to Johann Sebastian Bach’s mantra: music is for the Glory of God and for the enlivening of the soul. He also believes that, as Beethoven once said, “Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” His performances are an incomparable mix of soaring melodies, infectious rhythm, and laughter. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and insists that no musician should. He draws his inspiration from a firm belief in a loving God, two incredible parents that have sacrificed so much to offer him the opportunities he enjoys today, and most of all an amazing wife and four cute-as-can-be children.
Steven plays many instruments and combines multiple elements from these instruments, most notably guitar and percussion, into an innovative and revolutionary way of playing the cello. He is broadly considered a pioneer in exploring the versatility of the instrument. In addition to his cello prowess he is an award-winning composer, arranger, and entertainer. He has toured the globe performing his works.
In 2011, Steven joined “The Piano Guys” and now enjoys confusing everyone that wonders why a cellist is called a “piano guy.” Whenever he goes to the airport and checks in with his multiple cello cases he inevitably is asked, “Hey, what band are you in?” … [awkward silence].
Despite this perplexity, Steven couldn’t be happier using everything God has given him to write music and produce videos with The Piano Guys. Nearly every sound you hear as you listen to TPG’s music was created by a wood, carbon fiber, steel, or electric cello – often modified from its typical state or tuning. To date, he has invented dozens of cello textures that have never before been heard – the sound of a trombone or an oboe, a Chinese fiddle, an Indian sitar, a saxophone, a kick drum, a snare drum, a timpani…Steven has spent countless hours creating sounds that are familiar, but completely unique – and all with a signature cello-continuity.
Most importantly, Steven subscribes to Johann Sebastian Bach’s mantra: music is for the Glory of God and for the enlivening of the soul. He also believes that, as Beethoven once said, “Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” His performances are an incomparable mix of soaring melodies, infectious rhythm, and laughter. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and insists that no musician should. He draws his inspiration from a firm belief in a loving God, two incredible parents that have sacrificed so much to offer him the opportunities he enjoys today, and most of all an amazing wife and four cute-as-can-be children.
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