Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cestari. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Cestari thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

For my debut album “In A Moment,” I knew that I wanted to create an experience around the release. I’ve always wanted to figure out ways to make concerts more interactive, and also include more elements outside of the music. When I recorded this album I knew I wanted to start with these “experiences” with this project. This led to me deciding to create music videos for all of the songs on the album, as well as a large concert to feature them simultaneously, almost as if it were a movie viewing.

It was great timing with this project, as a close friend of mine, Leonardo Yana-Romero (at the time Boston based filmmaker) had a ton of availability that lined up with mine. From there we spent months workshopping scenes, lighting, and casting. Eventually we shot eight music videos in three days, but we weren’t done.

Once the videos were done, we put it all together in the concert. Performing at the DiMenna Center in New York City, we brought a small orchestra arranged by myself and put on “MOMENTS,” a 90-minute concert premiering my debut album, the music videos, and original poetry, all to tell the story of self-acceptance as a young adult.

I had never been so stressed putting together an event, I have always booked and organized my own shows, but I had never done anything of this scale. However we nearly sold out the show, and put on one of my most memorable experiences I have ever had. Several musicians I had hired for the first time became really close friends of mine, and now it’s given me more ideas for ways to interact with the audience, and create more dynamic and memorable “Cestari Experiences.”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Cestari (pronounced ‘suh-star-ree’), I am a pianist, singer, and writer based in New York City. I originally got into music through my classical piano training, but transitioned to jazz and free improvisation about six years ago. As of this year (2024) I’m a senior of NYU’s music business program, which has opened so many doors for me.

I had always been passionate about music, but it wouldn’t be until I discovered great improvisers like Peter Brötzmann, Kamasi Washington, and Christian Scott, when I decided to dive into that world. When I started university, I also found my way into the world of singing and songwriting, listening to people like Ethel Cain, Tracy Chapman, and several others. All of these genres (as well as so many others) have all informed my music and writing, which has become an amalgamation of all of the above: a dynamic, emotional sound that reflects the diversity and experiences of Gen Z.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Go out of your way to find new music. It’s very easy to stick with the major acts and figure out ways to support them, but although they also make great music there’s so much more out there to discover! Go out to your local venues, some shows will have 3-5 acts playing for $20, follow small artists online and interact with their social media, etc. It’s a highly saturated field, so pick the artists you resonate with, but go out of your way to try to find them, you’d be surprised as to how much cool music is out there.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Several books and poems have impacted my writing. I have always returned to “A Pale View of Hills” by Kazuo Ishiguro, as I love its realness and calm (but underlying emotional) tone. Some other writers I’ve taken much inspiration from are Amy Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Ge Fei (“Peach Blossom Paradise” is a personal favorite of mine), and the epic in Vladimir Nabokov’s “Pale Fire.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cestariofficial.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cestari___/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsOs-IjvVrHIA9LtMlTTXIw
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/038QrLny84OqxerVdMxwvx?si=eDo98iBrTLaciTHqepNvlw

  https://www.tiktok.com/@_cestari____?_t=8fzDKLSe56t&_r=1

Image Credits

Personal photo – Anna Lin
Other photos – Natalia Kempthorne-Curiel