Tina Guo
High-octane cello that bridges the gap between concert halls and heavy metal arenas. Epic, theatrical, and intensely cinematic music for feeling invincible.
High-octane cello that bridges the gap between concert halls and heavy metal arenas. Epic, theatrical, and intensely cinematic music for feeling invincible.
Tina Guo’s music is a high-voltage collision between the refined elegance of a conservatory and the raw power of a stadium rock show. Her sound is defined by the cello, but not as you know it; she treats the instrument like a lead guitar, utilizing heavy distortion, rapid-fire shredding, and soaring melodic lines that feel larger than life. The production is consistently massive, featuring dense orchestral layers and aggressive percussion that wouldn't be out of place in a blockbuster film score.
What truly sets her apart is her versatility and theatricality. She moves effortlessly from delicate, traditional Chinese erhu melodies to industrial metal riffs that growl with mechanical grit. Her work often reinterprets iconic themes from video games and cinema, injecting them with a technical ferocity that honors the original while pushing it into much darker, more energetic territory. It is music designed for impact, favoring bold emotional strokes and virtuosic displays.
For those new to her work, 'Game On!' is the perfect entry point, showcasing her ability to transform familiar gaming soundtracks into epic instrumental anthems. If you prefer her heavier side, 'Cello Metal' demonstrates how well the cello's natural resonance translates to the world of distorted riffs and double-kick drumming. It is the ultimate soundtrack for anyone who wants their classical music with a side of adrenaline.
Tina Guo (Chinese: 郭婷娜; pinyin: Guō Tíngnà) (born 28 October 1985) is a Chinese-born American cellist and erhuist from San Diego. Her international career as a cellist, erhuist, and composer is characterized by videos featuring theatrical backdrops and elaborate costumes, a range of genres, and an improvisatory style in film, television, and video game scores. She has appeared as a soloist with the San Diego Symphony the National Symphony Orchestra (Mexico), the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra in Greece (Κρατική Ορχήστρα Θεσσαλονίκης), the Petrobras Symphony in Brazil, and the Vancouver Island Symphony in British Columbia. She also performed with violinist Midori Goto in Dvorak's American String Quartet at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and completed four national tours of Mexico and Italy performing the Shostakovich, Dvorak, Haydn, and Saint-Saëns Cello Concertos. She toured as a featured guest with Al Di Meola, Yoshiki of X Japan, and recently appeared with the Tenerife Symphony and Choir in the Canary Islands performing "Batman: The Dark Knight" Suite at the Tenerife International Film Festival, featured on Electric Cello. In February 2019, she toured with the Victoria Symphony. On August 1, 2019, she joined the German symphonic metal band Beyond the Black at Wacken Open Air Festival. She also performed with Swedish power metal band Sabaton on their headlining of the festival and recorded with them in 2021 the song “Steel Commanders”.
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