Hailed by the New Yorker as a “superb young soloist,” Nicholas Canellakis has become one of the most sought-after and innovative cellists of his generation. In the New York Times his playing was praised as "impassioned ... the audience seduced by Mr. Canellakis's rich, alluring tone.”

His recent highlights include solo debuts with the Virginia, Albany, Bangor, and Delaware symphony orchestras; concerto appearances with the Erie Philharmonic, the New Haven Symphony as artist-in-residence, and the American Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall; Europe and Asia tours with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and recitals throughout the United States with his longtime duo collaborator, pianist-composer Michael Stephen Brown, including a recital of American cello-piano works presented by CMS.

An alum of CMS’s Bowers Program, he is a regular guest artist at many of the world’s leading music festivals, including Santa Fe, Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Bard, Bridgehampton, La Jolla, Hong Kong, Moab, Music in the Vineyards, and Saratoga Springs.

He is the Artistic Director of Chamber Music Sedona in Arizona and is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory. Filmmaking and acting are special interests of his. He has produced, directed, and starred in several short films and music videos.