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From Rock to Classical & from Opera to Pop, Cello Diva is no ordinary cellist…

Aside from evident mastery of the instrument... Maer's lovely, deep tone and silky elastic touch is evocative...

Liz Seymour - Arts Hub News Wire Review: Cello Diva, Bed of Roses

Maer is part of a new breed, bringing a refreshing, versatile approach to performances.

Josephine Allison - The West Australian

From the pavements of Covent Garden to the Sydney Symphony, Maer's career brings new life to the tired concept of boundary pushing.

Alexandra Coughlan - Time Out Magazine, Sydney

Sally... radiates empathy and understanding. She brings those qualities to her music.

Robert Titterton, Chairman of the Sydney Omega Ensemble.


About

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Sally Maer’s love of the cello, music and life is infectious.

For someone who has played with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, Sally Maer’s face seems to light up the most when reminiscing about her time as a busker in London’s Covent Garden.

As a born and bred Londoner studying at the Royal Academy of Music, busking gave her the chance to explore performing in a way that she couldn’t do in the more serious setting of the concert hall.

Carving out her own style as ‘Cello Diva’ later gave Sally the opportunity to become a headline act on luxury cruise ships such as the Queen Mary 2.

While taking part in a performance at the Dawn Service in Gallipoli with the Peter Sculthorpe String Quartet in 2004, she was talent-spotted by the then manager of the ‘Popera’ sensation Amici Forever, who invited her to support the group on its Australian tour. Sally performed her solo show in all the major concert halls across Australia, including the Sydney Opera House.

Before all of this, there had been a few things on the to-do list – winning a place to study at the Royal Academy of Music at age 17, graduating with an Honours degree presented to her by Sir Yehudi Menuhin, emigrating from the UK to Australia, playing in the Sydney Symphony and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, and appearing on TV accompanying the likes of Lionel Richie, Michael Bublé and Liza Minnelli. There was even a gig with rocker Tommy Lee Jones and a tour as Delta Goodrem’s cellist.

Nowadays, Sally calls the Central Coast of NSW home where she appears regularly in local concerts including a performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto last year with the Symphony Central Coast. Devoted to passing on her love of music to the next generation, Sally and her saxophonist husband, JP Fleury, founded The Fleurys Music School.

Sally has her third album release with ABC Classics in April, following the success of ‘Celtic Cello” last year. The new album, “Cello at the Opera”, tells the dramatic tales of love, betrayal, longing and ecstasy through the beautiful singing voice of the cello accompanied by the rich sound of the Symphony Orchestra.



News / Press

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News

  • Sally's new album Celtic Cello featuring Opera Australia stars Teddy Tahu Rhodes and David Hobson as special guests is now available. Have a look in the SHOP section of the site.


Gallery

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Video

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'O mio babbino caro' - beautifully arranged for cello and orchestra Watch it here.
 
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Celtic Cello - join Sally as she celebrates the Celtic muse. Watch it here.
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From Sinatra to The Swan, to Children of Sanchez, here is the diversity of a Cello Diva show. Watch it here
 
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Cello Diva plays Vivaldi’s dazzling “Summer” storm on stage with the band on the MS Volendam. Watch it here.
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Cello Diva captivatingly plays The Swan, by Saint Saens, one of the most famous pieces of cello music ever. Watch it here.
 
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The Fleurys Showreel. Watch it here
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Sally and Sally (Maer and Whitwell) play Arvo Part’s meditative Spiegel im Spiegel, recorded by ABC Classics. Watch it here.
 
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The ABC produced this video clip to accompany the Bed of Roses album. The week it was released on YouTube, it was the 4th most highly rated video in Australia. It's a fairy tale... Watch it here.


Shop

Cello at the Opera

Buy from ABC

For her third ABC Classics album ‘Cello at the Opera’, Sally Maer (aka Cello Diva) gives emotional and breathtaking performances of the great opera tunes on the instrument closest to the human voice: the cello.

 

Celtic Cello

Buy from ABC

The mist-covered hills and cosy firesides of Scotland, Ireland and Wales have long inspired music of enchantment and beauty. From haunting melodies to exuberant reels, from traditional tunes to uplifting songs of today, join cellist Sally Maer as she celebrates the Celtic muse.

Featuring Opera Australia stars Teddy Tahu Rhodes and David Hobson as special guests.

Watch Celtic Cello.

 

Bed of Roses

Signed to ABC classics in 2008 as Cello Diva, Sally recorded this cello at the ABC studios in Sydney with the backing of a live symphony orchestra.

The music is played regularly on Classic FM in Australia, and the album consists of mesmerising arrangements of well known music, from all genres.

 

Love Lost & Found

Cello Diva teams up with accomplished saxophonist and flautist JP Fleury for their first duo album together. During a year of traveling around the world performing on cruise ships, both Sally and JP ‘s families and friends seemed to be having various life changing moments.In an attempt to give gifts to all those getting married, losing their loved ones and bringing new life into the world, by making and giving their music, they thought to put all these pieces together on one album. They have since realised that one album may not be enough! But here is the first offering of ‘Love Lost and Found’, an album of beautiful duets, inspired by all different kinds of love, made with love. Listen to Love Lost And Found.

 

Other Albums featuring Cello Diva

< Sally appeared on this compilation album produced by Decca with "Fields of Gold" from her Bed of Roses album. Unfortunately, and probably due to budget cuts, Decca don't employ people who can read, or double check over their work, so she is credited as Sally May. However, she was thrilled to feature on an album with fabulous artists such as Pavarotti, Lesley Garret and Russell Watson!