Hosting Royal-ty

Music and magic.

A cellist/vocalist, a magician and a barbershop quartet will highlight Arts Place’s winter performance series.

The Eric R. Rogers Series hosted by the Jay County Campus of Arts Place kicks off Friday as cellist/vocalist Gabriel Royal performs in Hall-Moser Theatre.

Royal diverges from what one might expect from a classical cellist. Instead, his music is described as a “fusion of original pop, jazz, soul and classic love songs.” He seeks to engage audiences by “balancing heartfelt moments of vulnerability with his signature sense of humor and timing.”

Bringing Royal to Jay County is part of an effort from Arts Place to present performers who utilize orchestral instruments with a modern twist.

“The cello is the most human of instruments,” said Royal prior to a performance at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas in 2018. “And my music combines the expressive power of classical music with the lyricism of pop and singer-songwriter genres.”

An Oklahoma native, in 2010 Royal was walking home with only $1 in his pocket when he noticed a busker — a person who performs music or other entertainment in the street or another public place for monetary donations — who had made significantly more money that day. He spent the next five years hauling his cello to the subway to serenade passersby with his “adult lullabies.” It was while playing in the subways that he met his lawyer and manager. He released his self-titled first album in 2016, having written most of his songs in the subway.

In the years since, Royal has performed at top music venues in New York City including (le) Poisson Rouge and The Blue Note Jazz Club. He has also been featured in the Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals.

The performer, who counts Stevie Wonder’s groove and Burt Bacharach’s jazzy pop as influences, also teaches music in his home state of Oklahoma. His music is available at gabrielroyalmusic.com/music.

Royal will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, with beverages and hors d’oeuvres being served beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and are available at myartsplace.org, by calling (260) 726-4809 or by visiting Arts Place at 131 E. Walnut St., Portland.

The concert is the kick-off to the Rogers Series, which will also feature magician Jon Mobley on Saturday, March 2, and barbershop quartet Instant Classic on Thursday, March 21.