Zoë Clare Keating (born February 2, 1972) is a Canadian-American cellist and composer once based in San Francisco, California, now based in Vermont.
Music
Keating performed from 2002 to 2006 as second chair cellist in the cello rock band Rasputina. She is featured on Amanda Palmer‘s debut solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer.
In her solo performances and recordings Keating uses live electronic sampling and repetition in order to layer the sound of her cello, creating rhythmically dense musical structures. As of 29 October 2012, her self-produced album One Cello x 16: Natoma reached #1 on the iTunes classical charts four times, and “Into the Trees” spent 47 weeks on the Billboard classical chart, peaking at #7. She is the recipient of a 2009 Performing Arts Award from Creative Capital.
Quito Song
Zoë Keating, Quito Song (June 2020 version) at home
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Personal Life
In 1972, Keating was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada to an English mother and an American father. She began playing the cello at the age of eight and attended Sarah Lawrence College in New York. Prior to 2005, she worked as an information architect. She worked on projects at the now defunct Perspecta, Inc., and the Research Libraries Group (now part of OCLC) and the Database of Recorded American Music.
In March, 2010, Keating announced via her website that she was expecting her first child with her husband, Jeff Rusch, in May.
Rusch was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in May, 2014, and was admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment. Days later, Keating and Rusch received a letter denying coverage for this hospital stay by their insurance company, Anthem. After local media publicized the story, Anthem Blue Cross reversed its decision, telling Keating in a phone call that the hospital stay would be covered. Rusch died on February 19, 2015.
Keating continues to advocate for patients, data portability and the simplification of medical insurance.
“Wikiwand – Zoë Keating.” Wikiwand, http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Zo%C3%AB_Keating.
Escape Artist
Zoe Keating Plays”Escape Artist”
Zoe Keating gives Wired an exclusive performance of a song from her up and coming album.
Interview with Zoë Keating
Zoe Keating, Data, and the Creative Process – Music Science
Cellist Zoe Keating has always pushed the boundaries of classical music, relying on loops and samples to produce her sounds. But she remains organic about the creative process. In this discussion with Strata+Hadoop World chair Alistair Croll, she talks about where technology should-and should not-play a part in making music, selling records, and connecting artists with fans.
Links:
TEDMED
Zoë Keating was working as a successful cellist and composer when her husband, Jeff, got sick with stage IV non-smokers lung cancer. Her life was turned upside down—she put her career on hold, stopped creating music, and pivoted the focus of her music blog to document their struggles dealing with health insurance companies and navigating the complex American health care system.
After Jeff’s death, it took Zoë time to start making her own music music again. But when she did, it became her lifeline—music helped her to grieve, to communicate what she was feeling, and to begin the healing process.
Watch Zoë’s TEDMED 2017 Talk below, and listen to the beautiful cello piece, “Possible,” that she composed in conjunction with developing her Talk.
Making sense of life, loss, and love through music
Zoë Keating was working as a successful cellist and composer when her husband, Jeff, got sick with stage IV non-smokers lung cancer. Her life was turned upside down-she put her career on hold, stopped creating music, and pivoted the focus of her music blog to document their struggles dealing with health insurance companies and navigating the complex American health care system.