Jacob Szekely

Born in Brooklyn New York in 1979, Jacob Szekely grew up in a musical family where his talent was recognized early on.

Strings Magazine has hailed Szekely as "One of the leaders in the Creative String Community," and Berklee cello professor and multiple Grammy winner Eugene Friesen has declared Jacob's playing to be "The first time a cellist has made the case as a leader in modern jazz!"

Mr. Szekely is also in great demand as a sideman and session player in Los Angeles having appeared in hundreds of commercials, television shows and movie scores. Jacob has been a featured performer or solo cellist with such popular artists as Marry J Blidge, Jay Z, Ellie Goulding, Avril Lavigne and Rush (ClockWork Angels Tour), Nichole Nordeman, Brett Young, and Luis Miguel to name a few. Jacob has been a featured soloist on such Television shows as Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Electric Cello), and Marvel's Agents Of Shield, and on video games like World Of Warcraft to Electric Jazz. Solo work for the upcomming Joker 2.

In late 2016 Mr. Szekely completed a series of etudes focused on exploring popular styles and improvisation including "The Rake," a funk pizzicato etude that will be published as part of a compendium of progressive cello etudes by YoYo Ma, Mike Block, Mark Summer, and Rushaad Eggleston for Berklee Press in (Spring 2017) and "5 Progressive Studies," a series of pieces designed to introduce Jacob's revolutionary fingerboard concepts in etude form.

Mr. Szekely Is the founder of String Project Los Angeles (The first school in America solely dedicated to creative string playing), The Los Angeles Creative String Festival, The Improvisors Guide To The Cello (The first and leading online string academy), The Pickup Test (The worlds first online comprehensive listening library of every pickup and mini mic for bowed strings and the leading educational resource for amplified string players), The TEK Seminar (the most advanced seminar in the world working with 5 global fellows per year established expressly to push the boundaries of creative string playing), as well as the inventor of The Cello Pedal and Co-inventor of StringBox.

Jacob is sponsored by Grace Design, Danish Professional Audio and is a Yamaha Clinician. He performs on several 4 and 5 string acoustic cellos including a cello made by Eric Benning and a bow by John Dodd.