Bio
Brent Arnold’s creative career spans new music, improvisation, rock, opera, theater, dance, and electronic music. The New York Times has praised his “mastery across string instruments,” and his work appears on hundreds of recordings across genres.
Raised in Northern California, Arnold’s first instrument was the electric guitar—his gateway to rock, psychedelia, jazz, punk, and noise. But after casually picking up a friend’s cello, he glimpsed new possibilities. He quickly became obsessed, studying classical technique while teaching himself Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis tunes by ear.
He moved to Seattle where he studied at Cornish College of the Arts with Walter Gray, an original member of the Kronos Quartet, and found a spiritual mentor in legendary jazz violinist Michael White, who performed with Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra, Roland Kirk, and John Handy. White’s teaching—equal parts mystical and practical—emphasized the transcendent power of sound; hours might be spent on a single note, uncovering the harmonic worlds within it.
Arnold became a fixture of Seattle’s avant-garde scene and a sought-after cellist and string arranger for indie rock artists. After relocating to New York, he developed a solo practice using pedals, synths, and live processing to transform the cello in real time. He also deepened his involvement in interdisciplinary collaborations spanning theater, film, dance, performance art, and puppetry. Notable projects include Ghost Quartet with Dave Malloy, Gelsey Bell, and Brittain Ashford, as well as collaborations with the Shadow Parks Department and choreographer Ashwini Ramaswamy.
In 2022, he joined Grey Filastine, Walid Ben Selim, Ali Abdi Omar, and Ricard Soler to create the opera Ali, which premiered at La Monnaie in Brussels in spring 2024 and returned in autumn 2025.
He is currently composing for the Night Heron Quintet, featuring Arun Ramamurthy (violin), Zosha Warpeha (Hardanger d’amore), Brent Arnold (cello), John Murchison (bass), and Alaina Ferris (harp).
His forthcoming album, More Light, produced by Randall Dunn and featuring Gelsey Bell, Robert A. A. Lowe, Eyvind Kang, Josh Modney, Jessica Pavone, Alaina Ferris, and Mark Dover, will be released in 2026.