Tina Guo is not your typical concert cellist. Besides performing as a guest artist for numerous symphonies –including the San Diego Symphony, the State of Mexico National Symphony and the Vancouver Island Symphony- she’s performed at the Playboy Mansion, the Grammies with the Foo Fighters and was a featured soloist in Cirque Du Soleil's Michael Jackson "The Immortal" World Tour.

Guo has been featured as a soloist on the scores of films like Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man 2, Batman vs Superman and is preparing to go on tour with cinematic composer Hans Zimmer this spring.

It might be easier to ask what Guo doesn’t do. She’s performing with the Auburn Symphony this weekend and joins Insight to talk about her many music stylings. 

Interview highlights:

When did you start experimenting and why?

She grew up in a classical family, her dad a cellist and mom a violinist. She remained a classical cellist until she went to University of Southern California and started playing electric cello. She began playing music with “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on violin for three months and it didn’t flow well for her. Her parents switched her out to cello and that came much more naturally to her.

What do you play with in your mind what do you love about music and possibilities with the cello?

She loves to explore all genres of music. She believes there are different ways to express different emotions and feelings.

She plays a surprise song and introduced it as a “slow song for the morning” (5 minutes into the audio)

Tell me about some of the music that you have been playing that people might be connected to: scores from “Sherlock Holmes”, from the upcoming movie, “Batman v. Superman”

She lives in LA, they’re all involved in the entertainment industry. She says she’s been lucky to work in various scores, including television, movie and video games. She explained that she didn’t record the original “Game of Thrones” score, but she made a cover of it because she’s a huge fan.

She is touring with Hans Zimmer

Hans is doing his very first arena tour.She will be playing the electric cello.

The story behind her cello

Her usual cello was a french cello made in paris 1880. Old instruments are fragile. Her wood cracked. She was stuck in the snowpocalypse for three days. She was supposed to be in Auburn a couple days prior to her visit to the station. She just got to town last night. She had to get her cello fixed because of two large cracks. She now uses a 2004 eric benning cello. She’s adjusting.

She is asked to play something of her choice. (Starts at the 9:30 mark)