KPTZ is excited to join Rainshadow Recording and Concerts in welcoming Ian Maksin to the Palindrome in Port Townsend on Sunday, August 17 at 5pm. A world-acclaimed cellist, composer, and multilingual vocalist, Ian is celebrated for his remarkable ability to sing in 40 languages. In this captivating musical journey across time and space, he will take listeners from the Sahara Desert to the Mongolian steppes, through the rugged mountains of the Balkans and the Caucasus, and to the shores of both the Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Maksin blends some of the most diverse sounds in world music into a seamless and soulful fusion, with the cello as the unifying voice. Using a loop pedal and other electronics, he transforms the sound of a single cello into the power and depth of an entire orchestra, creating an unforgettable listening experience. His distinctive style draws on global traditions and genres, weaving them into a heartfelt call for peace on Earth. Born in Leningrad, former USSR, into a multinational family, Ian absorbed many cultures and traditions from an early age. He began playing cello at just six years old at the School for Gifted Children in Leningrad, later moving to the United States at age 16 to study at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. After years of performing in the classical world—including a three-year tenure with the New World Symphony in Miami—he chose to forge his own musical path, taking the cello into new dimensions and developing a style uniquely his own.
