Dominic Cheli embraces the role of an artist-citizen in his multifaceted career as performer, educator, composer, and business developer. He is described as an “inspired keyboardist” (artsfuse) whose playing is “spontaneous yet perfect, the best of how a young person can play” (Symphony Magazine). His rapidly advancing career included his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut with the Colburn Orchestra, where Dominic was “mesmerizing… he transfixed the audience” (LA Times). He gave his Carnegie Hall recital debut in 2019 and has maintained a vibrant performing and recording career ever since.
He recorded his second CD on the Naxos label featuring the music of Liszt and Schubert, and was performer, producer, and editor on a third CD of music by Erwin Schulhoff for the Delos label, which includes his collaboration on Piano Concerto No. 2 with Maestro James Conlon. He also recently completed work as a composer, audio editor, and performer on the documentary Defying Gravity (2021).
A native of St. Louis, Dominic has performed with orchestras across the U.S. and abroad, including the San Diego Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Princeton Symphony, Colburn Orchestra, Virginia Symphony, Adrian Symphony, and the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie (Germany). He has worked with conductors such as James Conlon, Gerard Schwarz, Valery Gergiev, and many others. He has appeared at major festivals including the Ravinia Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, and the Virginia Arts Festival. Upcoming engagements include appearances with the Seattle Symphony, a debut at Alice Tully Hall, and a fourth appearance at Carnegie Hall.
As a recording artist, Cheli’s albums have been met with critical acclaim. MusicWeb International hailed his debut album featuring music by Muzio Clementi as “definitive performances,” and his 2021 release Liszt: Schubert Transcriptions as “utterly brilliant.” In 2017, he was named First Prize Winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York City.
With a deep appreciation for the power of technology, Dominic serves as both Director of Business Development and Head of Piano at Tonebase, a leading online education platform for classical musicians. In his business role, he helps shape the company’s strategic growth through partnerships, programming expansion, and innovation in music education. As Head of Piano, he leads the artistic direction of the platform, producing cinematic masterclasses and interactive livestreams featuring top pianists, serving over 25,000 global subscribers. His mission is to make elite music education more accessible and inspiring to learners everywhere.
Deeply committed to community engagement, Dominic frequently performs and brings educational residencies to schools and retirement homes. He is a member of the Darshan Trio alongside Vijay Gupta and Yoshi Masuda. The trio blends chamber and new music, creating interdisciplinary programs that reframe masterpieces through a contemporary lens. They also perform with Street Symphony, an organization rooted in community renewal and recovery, presenting musical programming to residents of Los Angeles’ Skid Row through lasting partnerships and outreach.
Dominic holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, Yale University, and the Colburn School, where he studied with Zena Ilyashov, André-Michel Schub, Peter Frankl, and Fabio Bidini.
Mr. Cheli is a Yamaha Artist and a recently appointed faculty member of the Colburn Community Music School. In his spare time, Dominic enjoys cooking and training for Ironman triathlons.