Cellist Christina Gullans praised for her “incredible depth” [Broadway World Review], “haunting sound” [Boston Arts Review], “exemplary musicianship” [Guy Rickards, Musical Opinion] and “thoughtful nature” [David Moore, American Record Guide] is a Washington, D.C. based chamber musician with an interest in music semiology. 

 

Christina’s playing has been heard in top concert halls around the world- such as Carnegie Hall, The National Auditorium in Madrid, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Jordan Hall, and Nation Center for Performing Arts in Bejing. She has also been heard on live National Public Radio and telecasts throughout the United States, Europe, and China.

 

In 2020, Christina released Across the Ages, an album of works written by the prolific American composer Alan Hovhaness, with Albany Records. Inspired by ancient Armenian, Japanese, and Indian musical elements, the collection of works display Hovhaness' renowned ability for synthesizing different musical traditions. Utilizing the cello's rich and expressive nature, Hovhaness’ music reflects the timeless connection we have to past civilizations, to nature, and one another. The CD has been praised as a much-needed and overdue addition to the American cello discography, and as an important act of rehabilitation for music that is almost unknown.  

 

Christina has led a diverse career performing in theaters, collaborating with cross-genre ensembles, working with contemporary classical composers and artists, and passionately educating young musicians. As a former member of the Boston String Quartet, Christina helped establish the quartet’s longstanding commitment to music education through the establishment of mentoring relationships with dozens of secondary schools and colleges throughout the country. Her tenure included performances in Jordan Hall (Boston, MA), Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (Troy NY), Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (Cedar Falls, Iowa), Julius Littman Performing Arts Theater (Miami Beach, FL), and collaborations with the Turtle Island Quartet, Lanny Meyers, Orla Fallon from Celtic Woman, and Jeanette Olsson from Glee. As a theater cellist, she performed for the US premiere of Monkey: Journey to the West with the Chinese opera director Chen Shi-Zheng, British musician Damon Albarn from the Gorillaz, and artist Jamie Hewlett.  As an orchestral musician, Christina has performed as a member of Maestro Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival Orchestra and as the principal cellist for Maestro Josep Vincent’s World Orchestra where she was honored as Ambassador of Peace from the Fundación Cultura de Paz in Madrid, Spain. Christina recently began collaborating with visual artists and living composers creating rich and immersive art experiences dedicated to environmental awareness. 

 

Christina holds an M.M. from Indiana University where she was awarded a Music Merit Award and E. Heinz Scholarship. Her past teachers include; Janos Starker, Helga Winold, Csaba Onczay, Elizabeth Simkin, and John Sant’Ambrogio. She plays an American cello made by Charles Albert in 1886.