“On May 31, Cellista from San Jose, California, published her new stunning “Transfigurations” album, a record which at the end of the year shall be easily included not only in my own best-of lists but in other music journalists similar articles. A woman with a cello who plays alternative music is usually deemed in the dark alternative rock wildwoods, gothic oriented musings, or metal. Cellista is way more different than that, actually, she comes from a completely different music galaxy which is her own trademark vision and her own musical narration.“

Cellista, is a performer who doesn't believe in the stage. She's all about bringing people together, and the separation a stage creates between the artist and the audience is counterproductive to that goal.

https://www.westword.com/music/cellista-brings-transfigurations-to-mercury-cafe-11491176

Today we are pleased to present the premiere of Transfigurations from California-based experimental artist Cellista. We should clarify that this is not a solo project – it is a very collaborative multi initiative spearheaded by Cellista herself and involving dozens of other artists. Impressive effort!

“I have to pay dues to Cellista, her forthcoming album Transfigurations has proved there is something else worth discovering away from the mainstream. Classical-based punk and hip-hop, wrapped in a gothic string section that causes hypnotic effects to the listener. In a nutshell that is what this release Transfigurations presents in a tour de force of styles.”

“I doubt that I am alone in regarding the cello as being the most elegant of musical instruments. Its place in amongst words of social concern does not, however, seem an obvious one so would “Transfigurations” by Cellista demonstrate its value by classical precision?

As albums go, “Transfigurations” is a difficult one to classify. Over the duration of the album, there are certainly more than enough oblique touches to justify an avantgarde tag yet the reliance on looped samples pulled from sources of historical value might suggest that the approval of the intelligentsia was perhaps not Cellista’s only motivation. It cannot be denied, however, that there is much in the way of musical skills on show and it is commendable that Cellista leads her cohorts courageously along some distinctly twisted musical roads that lead the listener away from main street accessibility towards the deserted highway of arthouse soundtrack cues. “Repetitions” is a prime example of this approach.”

Who would have thought that a cellist and a hip hop artist could meld into one musically? That is exactly what you get with this artistic melting pot via Cellista and DEM ONE in the form of the song titled ‘Look Homeward, Angel’ from her upcoming album ‘Transfigurations’. A perfectly rough and raw fusion of classical ambiance and lyrical defiance beautifully wrapped and melded into a stern beat and lush overtone. The video continues the mood via a seemingly impromptu performance art in an avant-garde fashion which, instead of the song being the soundtrack, the video becomes the ‘sitetrack’. Well done!

Cellista, regarding San Jose: "It’s history is something that I hope is cultivated and nourished."

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“…through my storytelling, I could point to a commonality between myself, music, science, and you.”
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"The San Jose-based cellist Cellista (born Freya Seeburger) composed her new piece Wants to accompany an interdisciplinary art installation of the same name."

As Cellista suggests in the liner notes, on how best to listen to Finding San Jose: “Be alone. In a candlelit room; root yourself firmly in the present with eyes wide open. Listen all the way through.”

Indeed, letting one’s imagination conjure the feeling of leaves crunching beneath the feet and the expressive faces of city dwellers passing by in “St. James Park” changes one’s perspective of San Jose. Whether you live here or not, it will be a new one that connects you to an alluring persona you can fall in love with — which is what Cellista intended all along.

A collaborative, monthly event series between Future Arts Now, Kooltura Marketing, and Knight Foundation, the ImagineSJ Showcase that provides a platform for San Jose’s newest most innovative thinking

“Cellista Reveals ‘Transfigurations’ at Anno Domini. Written and recorded over the last two years, Transfigurations is the latest effort from San Jose experimental musician Cellista, a.k.a. Freya Seeburger. Though cello is the album’s primary instrument, Transfigurations would best be described as a sort of avant-pop, comprising elements of classical, found sound, trap, modern composition and noise. It is clear-eyed, and it is apocalyptic. The message, unmistakably sent across the album’s eleven tracks: that the Bay Area has reached a point of no return.”

A unique storytelling experience of the matador versus the bull, against a mellifluous narrative of sound. Listen here...

Juxtapoz Magazine Feature

Storey and Seeburger came together via the Anno Domini exhibit. At 75, Storey draws inspiration from dark, disquieting subjects. Two previous Anno Domini shows in particular tackled the horrors of the Iraq war, and, in another instance, the brutal platform of suicide. Neither exhibit was even remotely comfortable to view. Seeburger, on the other hand, is less than half of Barron's age and is trying to graft her analysis of Messiaen's quartet onto a conversation about the San Jose arts scene.

...Finding San José is a cinematic work; live selections will be performed at a screening of the album’s accompanying “making-of” documentary, Cellista, at Campbell’s Diamond in the Rough Film Festival later this month.

Seeburger is adamant that Finding San José is an experience—best consumed alone, by candlelight, eyes wide open, mind firmly in the present and in one sitting. “I do want my audience to work just a little bit and be present in my process.” says Seeburger.

SF Classical Voice by Jeff Kaliss

“Most especially, this is an offering to the artists of San Jose,” she says. “I owe San Jose my creative life. I see the town going through a period of rapid growth and development, and I would like to offer this album to my community in dedication of a time when San Jose used to be orchards.”

Cellista is featured twice in author Susannah Greenwood's book.

“California for me was this place where you do healthy things and everybody is optimistic and happy,” she recalls, mocking this supposed culture of idealism. “I’d always make fun of California. But then when I moved here, it’s like my whole world opened up.”