Sonja Myklebust is a cellist based in Seattle, WA

Rockstop plays music from Bach to Star Wars! Passionate about the cello and spreading the love of all things bass, We loves performing at schools, libraries, gardens, weddings, concert halls, and everything in between.

Experimental, Indian, Classical, Dub, Sound Art.

Jake Charkey is an acclaimed cellist with a strong background in both Western classical music and Hindustani music. 
 
Building from his solid classical and orchestral training, he is an eclectic improviser, drawing from eastern and western musical traditions.
 
He is a sought after studio recording artist in the film, television and music industry in both India and USA.  A disciple of the renowned violinist Padmabhushan Dr. N. Rajam in the rare Gayaki Ang style, Jake is one of the few cellists in the world performing Indian music on the cello.

About
Jake Charkey started playing violin at the age of 6.  After a year of suffering the scratchy cacaphony of beginning violin, his father mercifully gave him a cello to try, and and he took it up like an old friend.
 
After completing his conservatory training at the Shepherd School of Music in Houston, TX and seeking to broaden his musical skills and vocabulary, he took an interest in Hindustani music.  His studies began in Toronto with the sarangi player, Aruna Narayan, who urged him to adapt Hindustani music to cello rather than learn an Indian instrument.  He continued in Los Angeles where he took up intensive training with Jagan Ramamoorthy, a senior disciple of the violin virtuoso Padmabushan Dr. N. Rajam.  He completed his M.F.A. at CalArts in Hindustani music under the guidance of Aashish Khan and Swapan Chaudury.  While at Cal-Arts he also incorporated other modalities of improvisation into his playing with Vinny Golia, Wadada Leo Smith, and Charlie Haden.
 
After grad school Jake moved to Montreal, where continued to perform Hindustani music, both as a soloist and accompanist for Kathak dance and was a occasional collaborator with tUnEyArds.  In 2010 he travelled to India with an arts fellowship from the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute to support formal study under Padmabushan Dr. N. Rajam with whom he continued to learn for the 6 years he stayed there.  
 
In India he recorded and performed with many of the most celebrated musicians in Bollywood.  His unique sound can be heard on season 2 of MTV's Coke Studio, multiple episodes of MTV Unplugged, and in a number of Bollywood soundtracks.  

Since returning to the USA in 2016 Jake has joined the Slipstream Ensemble at Marlboro College, a composer/performer ensemble in residence and performs with Layale Chaker and Sarafand.  He also performs with Adam Rudolph’s GO Organic Orchestra and is a frequent collaborator with the Brooklyn Raga Massive.  He has been an advocate for new music for solo cello which he programs in recital alongside Hindustani music.  He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Followers of Rockstop Cello Quartet