Shauna Tucker and her “chamber soul” come to WCU

Shauna Tucker will be performing at WCU Bardo Center on Nov. 11. Photo courtesy of

Shauna Tucker will be performing at WCU Bardo Center on Nov. 11. Photo courtesy of WCU

Singer-songwriter and cellist, Shauna Tucker, is performing at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center  on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Tucker coined the phrase “chamber soul” to best describe her music. It is influenced by her jazz and classical roots interwoven with ’80s & ’90s pop music, movie soundtracks and world music. At the moment she is part of the Cirque du Soleil as cellist and mezzo-soprano for at the MGM in Las Vegas.

Her musical career took off during her studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she was introduced to jazz. While at Howard, she was part of a singing piano trio HUE, which received critical acclaim within the DC music scene in the mid-1990’s. Later on, she completed her cello studies at CUNY-Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music before moving to North Carolina.

Tucker has opened for internationally acclaimed artists like Norah Jones, Lisa Fischer, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Javon Jackson, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Indigo Girls. Her vocals and cello are featured on several studio and live recording projects by both independent and signed label artists. In 2011 she released her first CD, SHiNE.

Tickets for Tucker’s show in the Bardo Arts Center on Friday can be purchased at the Bardo box office or online here. General admission is $24, WCU faculty and staff admission is $20 and WCU student admission is $5.

Hear her performance of “November” in 2014 at the Composer’s Showcase at The Smith Center’s Jazz Cabaret with Bill Zappia on piano and Adam Shendal on drums.