We recently connected with Thiago Wolf and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Thiago, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I first started learning music when I was 7 years old. My grandfather used to play acoustic guitar and accordion at home and seeing him play made me curious and inspired me to try. He and my father promptly started looking for music lessons in my town when they realized that I was interested in learning. They signed me up to a folkloric group led by two ladies that taught dance, visual arts, and music. I started learning how to play the accordion and my teacher, Neusa, also taught me music theory and solfège. Neusa Calió was my very first music teacher and mentor. I owe her my deepest gratitude and admiration for introducing me to music and granting me a great initiation in this path.
After a year of accordion classes, another music school came into town and they offered lessons of classical instruments, like strings, woodwinds, and percussion. Seeing my excitement and development with music, my father visited the new school to sign me up. They only had open spots for cello and trumpet. The school had some instruments to lend to the students and because of that, in my child mind I thought: “Well, if I have to share an instrument with other students, the trumpet is not the most hygienic one to do so. So I’ll go with the cello!” Since the school just got started, they didn’t have other sizes of instruments available, so I started learning on a regular-sized cello, which was huge for me. In another year of lessons, I was already in their advanced group, joining their orchestra and playing concerts around the town. I was very supported and encouraged by my teachers and they prepared me to apply for the Conservatory in the neighbor town. I got in when I was 12 and there my music studies were intensified. I learned music history, advanced music theory, and had several cello lessons, with chamber groups and orchestras. At some point, I stopped playing the accordion so I could dedicate more time to the cello. Looking back at this decision, I consider it necessary, but I wish I kept on playing the accordion.
Fast forward a few years, I went to college to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance, graduating in 2019. In the Spring of 2022, I started a second degree at Berklee College of Music, fulfilling my dream of studying with Eugene Friesen. Throughout 4 years of intense work and deep immersion into lots of music, cultural exchanges, and transformative experiences, I just graduated this Fall.
One thing that made me practice, learn, and consequently develop my skills the most was being surrounded by another musicians and students that were very inspired and passionate about music and improving. I would say that this was the key factor to keep pushing me to become a better player and a better musician. Lately, being immersed in such a diverse and beautiful community has also transformed and shaped me to be a better person as well. So knowing what I know now, I would have dived into these musically intense environments sooner and more often so I could advance my studies and skills even further and quicker.
The essential skills to develop as a musician are your abilities to listen, adapt, and create. You must be very attentive and open to listen and absorb the most of your mentors, peers, and surroundings so you can foster your language, your foundation, and technique. Then, you must adapt to your own terms and specificities – techniques must be learned and mastered in a way that works for you. Lately, you must allow time and space to execute your creativeness and develop it.
When I was back in Brazil, some obstacles that stood in my way of learning more were the financial limitations and the scarcity of opportunities. I would accomplish what I mentioned before by attending music festival and contests, but very often my family and I wouldn’t be able to afford the fees and expenses to do so. Furthermore, there weren’t many festivals around the country. I am grateful for the ones that existed and that I could go, but there weren’t many. And the reason why was the poor support and investments from the government regarding music and culture in general.

Thiago, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Thiago Wolf. I am a cellist, musician, and audio engineer whose work is deeply inspired by nature and its excellence and beauty. Just as rain shapes patterns on glass, I shape sound with intention, emotion, and care. Through performance, recording, production, and mixing, my music reflects the organic perfection and beauty of the world that surrounds us.
As a multifaceted musician, my work spans a wide range of styles and settings. Being classically trained and raised in Brazil’s culturally rich environment, I bring versatility, sensitivity, and professionalism to every project. From live performances to studio sessions, I adapt seamlessly to the role each collaboration requires, always serving the music first.
My approach to audio engineering mirrors my musicianship: thoughtful, sensitive, and elegant. Whether recording, producing, or mixing, I aim to transform songs into cohesive, natural works that feel alive and authentic.
My current work includes live performances in varied formats, from solo cello sets to string quartets, jazz trios, and orchestras. I also participate in studio and remote recording sessions, collaborating with artists and producers across the U.S. and internationally. Looking ahead, I am expanding my work as a producer, recording, and mixing engineer, developing projects across genres such as jazz, R&B, contemporary, and classical instrumental music, with the same level of artistry and dedication that defines my performance work.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One of the most shocking and transformative experiences I had in my musical journey happened in November of 2019. My senior recital, which was required in order to graduate from my Bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance, was coming up in a few weeks. Furthermore, I was also taking a full sprint towards applying to Berklee College of Music. At that point, I was at my highest level of practice routine and striving for my best performance. However, I was also working many hours a week in the teaching job I had. One day, while driving from one city to another to go to work, I had a serious car accident. My car turned over 3 or 4 times after I tried to swerve to avoid an animal on the road. Once the car stopped turning and people came to rescue me, it didn’t feel as bad. I was feeling okay and naively thought that I’d be out and playing again in a few days. But when I got to the hospital and heard the diagnosis, I realized that it would take more time than that. I had my left hand badly injured and my cervical fractured. I had to wear a cervical collar for about 2 months and my left hand took about the same time to heal completely. I got 5 and 6 stitches on my index and middle finger and, consequently, couldn’t play the cello. I didn’t move my fingers for a month, and when I took off the stitches, I couldn’t bend or flex my them completely. Therefore, I had to cancel my senior recital and undergo physical therapy. When I’d try to play the cello, it would be very painful given that the scars were right where I’d touch the strings. It took me a couple of weeks to get my fingers less sensitive so the pain would be more tolerable to play.
In January of 2020, my first audition to Berklee was scheduled. Although I wasn’t in my best conditions, I decided to go and try performing for the jury so I could take my chances and see what it was about. I had to play a simpler piece than the one I first prepared and I managed to get approved with a 25% scholarship. Although, the costs and expenses of moving to Boston and affording the tuition were still too high and I decided to stay in Brazil and use that year to prepare and re-audition for the next year. When the pandemic hit, I was able to keep working online and stay home to fully recover and practice even more. I applied to the scholarships offered by the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation and was awarded the Gifted Tuition Scholarship, a $100.000 value that would cover the 4 years of study at Berklee. Then, when I re-auditioned to Berklee, I was awarded a 50% scholarship that, combined with the other award, covered 100% of tuition and, consequently, allowed me to go and fulfill my dream of studying at Berklee. 4 years later, I am giving my senior recital at one of the biggest stages at Berklee, surrounded by wonderful friends and mentors.
From this experience, I took a great lesson from life: although I was in a very intense streak of practice and work, that accident was a forced pause that life gave me to meditate, reconnect with family and my essences, and gather strength and inspiration to keep pushing even further afterwards, leading me to a greater accomplishment. Despite my fear of not recovering well enough to get back to playing and doing what I love, the support from my family and my faith in God helped me to prevail and overcome that challenge. I feel extremely blessed and I’m grateful for being able to tell a successful story after all.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My musical journey started in my childhood, when I wasn’t aware of the depths of music and its impact on the people and our world. But as I grew older and ventured further into music and my craft, I came to realize how important and crucial music is to all aspects of life. By seeing how positively I impacted people that I crossed paths with and that heard my music, I made this as one of my top priority goals: bring people together and promote a touching experience through music.
I also believe that I have been blessed with the talents, skills, and facilities that I have with music and technology, and it’s my duty to put them to use and make a change in the world. Every person and soul are unique and so are the creatives. Each one of us has a story to tell and a beauty within us to be shown. Upon that, I have been working on developing my own music and compositions to reveal my inner essence to the audiences and clients, so they can all get to experience what I have as the most beautiful and sacred in my art and voice. My goal is to find beauty from within and in my surroundings and put it into music, so it can be translated to the people that are eager and in need of these sounds of love and comfort.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thiagowolfmusic.wixsite.com/twmusic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wcellist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCellist
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thiago-wolf-music/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThiagoWolf

Image Credits

Pictures by shiftysunshine, Moana Marques, Elias Mantyla, and others.