INTERVIEW: Get ‘Happy’ with CelloVoci at Carnegie Hall
Photo: CelloVoci features Essie Passero and Branden & James. Photo courtesy of Duc Nguyen / Provided by Fortune Creative with permission.
The latest entrant in the classical-crossover arena is CelloVoci, which is made up of award-winning cellist and vocalist Branden & James, along with Effie Passero, known for American Idol and Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Together they have combined their talents for unique takes on “happy”-inspired tunes, such as a mash-up of “Happy Days Are Here Again” and “Get Happy.” They also bring their sonic flair to hits like “Hotel California” and “Besamé Mucho,” which are combined together into a wholly original take on the well-known songs. These recording efforts have been packaged together and will be released as the new album Happy Days, due out Friday, Oct. 11.
To crown this recording achievement, Passero and Branden & James will perform as CelloVoci at Carnegie Hall Thursday, Oct. 17. This is the band’s Carnegie Hall debut and New York City debut, though they’ve toured extensively around the United States since the pandemic, according to press notes.
For those who don’t know, here’s a primer on Branden & James’ success since they hit the music scene a decade ago: James is the cellist, and Branden is the tenor vocalist. They are known for “innovative arrangements of familiar tunes,” which makes their collaboration with Passero perfectly appropriate. That’s ultimately the mission of CelloVoci, mashing up the old and new into novel renditions that feel familiar yet groundbreaking.
Passero, on the other hand, is a classically trained soprano originally from California. She became well known to American Idol audiences during season 16 of that hit competitive show. She toured for a long time with Postmodern Jukebox, and now she’s focusing on CelloVoci and several musical theater projects.
Recently the three members of CelloVoci exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox about all things Happy Days. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How long have you been working on Happy Days?
BRANDEN: A year ago in October, James got a last-minute call to fill in as cellist for a player who canceled in a concert for the Mexican tenor, Enrique de Allende, at Carnegie Hall. Effie was already scheduled to perform with the tenor, and Branden was planning on attending as a spectator. We were all there in attendance in our own capacities. After the concert, the three of us had some time to chat together and mutually agreed we’d like to play our own concert at Carnegie Hall. The following month, we endured an incredibly detailed and lengthy application process, and were approved to produce and play our own show!
That was the genesis of our wanting to work more together. Happy Days, the album, came shortly after. We worked on the arrangements in December and January, and recorded the whole thing in February with a producer in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It wasn’t until we were on a tour of the midwest in April of this year that we dreamt up the group name CelloVoci.
Do you feel that the classical-crossover world works well with the pop and rock worlds?
JAMES: Yes, the classical-crossover world is really just a more sophisticated way of presenting songs from the pop and rock world. Most often, classical-crossover songs are cover songs that are borrowed from these genres. Rock music, in particular, lends itself well to conversion into crossover mostly because of the anthemic, soaring melodies that are in so many classic rock songs. Classical music is the foundation for every genre that has come after it: pop, rock, jazz, etc. In actuality, we’re just reimagining what was already borrowed from the mother genre.
When you paired these songs together, were you thinking of connections lyrically or sonically?
EFFIE: What a great question. When we create mash-ups, it’s generally a pairing that comes to us sonically. Certain songs have melodies and harmonic structures that are complementary to others. With that said, almost every single time we put two songs together, the lyrics tend to pair together quite nicely as well. Music is magical like that. When it’s right, it’s right.
What do you love about the tune “House of the Rising Sun,” and how do you put a unique spin on the song?
EFFIE: This is the thing about songs that are classics: We all cover them. In the case of our new album, this arrangement is something that Branden & James came up with. I also cover this song, and it has been a part of my standard repertoire for years. When I first heard the arrangement that the boys recorded, I was downstairs in the guest bedroom of their Philadelphia home. I came running upstairs and asked, “That bridge before the final key change and verse, was that Nina Simone?” Branden answered me, “Yes. It is sampled from ‘Feelin’ Good’ by Nina Simone.” … This is the sort of out-of-the-box thinking you need to create a great mash-up. I love the way the boys start this song a cappella and then layer each instrument one at a time — vocals, cello, piano, strings, etc. — into a dramatic crescendo.
What are your plans for the Carnegie Hall concert?
JAMES: Our Carnegie Hall concert will be a celebration of most of the repertoire that we’ve developed and perfected as CelloVoci thus far. As it’s titled Happy Days Are Here Again, it is, in essence, an album release concert for our album Happy Days, which comes out on Oct. 11. Many things from the album are on the concert program: “The Prayer,” “Happy Days/Get Happy,” “I Put a Spell on You,” “Bésame Mucho/Hotel California,” “Chasing Cars/The Rose,” and the list goes on. We’ve also programmed some quintessentially New York things, which we won’t spoil at this point. With a seven-piece ensemble to accompany us, our Carnegie Hall concert should feel special and be different than anything else we’ve performed thus far as CelloVoci. I’ve taken great care with the arrangements to add our own flair and sound to each song we’ll cover. We shall see how the audience responds on the night.
Some of the songs are quite buoyant and “happy.” Are these happy times we live in? How can music make us happier?
BRANDEN: I’ve taken great inspiration from the current Kamala Harris/Tim Walz presidential campaign. The media has dubbed them as joyful warriors. It has been a breath of fresh air listening to them talk about propping people up as opposed to tearing them down. The energy between Effie, James and me is very jovial and light, and funny, even. We perform a lot of emotional music, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. So much of what’s happening in the world is mired in negativity, anger and sadness. The world doesn’t have to be like that. We can all make a conscious effort to spread love and light as opposed to division and hate. If you think about it, music is truly a universal language. It makes us happier and brings us together. We are simply purveyors of joy, and I hope that rings true for people listening to our album and attending our concert at Carnegie Hall.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
CelloVoci will release Happy Days Friday, Oct. 11, and they perform at Carnegie Hall Thursday, Oct. 17. Click here for more information and tickets.
