Artist Bio

Keely Mackey-Gonzales, known artistically as Celloquacious, is a rare and compelling voice in contemporary music and performance art. With over four decades of experience as a cellist, she speaks through her instrument, creating deeply expressive and immersive soundscapes. As an interdisciplinary artist and creative director, Keely seamlessly integrates concepts, images, movement, and sound into performances that transcend traditional genres and elevate human experience.

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Performing solo on electroacoustic cello or her 6-string electric cello, Keely uses live looping, effects, and extended techniques to create what she calls a "virtual cello orchestra"—an otherworldly sonic realm she refers to as musical soulscapes. Her compositions are inspired by the elements of Nature—Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ether—and draw from both classical tradition and futuristic experimentation. As she puts it: “When the music comes through me, there are no words, only images of sound.”

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Keely publicly emerged as a solo artist under the name Celloquacious in 2019. Just a year later, she won the 2020 New Mexico Music Award for her original piece Out at Sea, and performed at the awards ceremony. The song was also a semifinalist in the International Songwriting Competition, selected from over 22,000 global entries. Since then, Keely has earned seven awards for her composition and cello performance, received three arts grants, been accepted to regional and international festivals, and has been featured across radio, television, film, newspapers, and magazines.

Background & Evolution

A lifelong cellist, Keely began her musical journey at the age of eight. She went on to formally study cello performance at both undergraduate and graduate levels, under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Ashby (James Madison University) and David Schepps (University of New Mexico)—students of cello legends Janos Starker and Pierre Fournier, respectively. Initially classically trained, Keely’s visual arts studies as an undergraduate sparked a new phase of creative expansion. She began improvising and performing with indie rock bands, creating immersive interdisciplinary installations, and exploring genres including jazz, soul, funk, experimental music, and Kirtan.

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Over the past decade, Keely has fully embraced electroacoustic and amplified cello, developing her own distinctive voice as a composer and performer. Her sound evokes what she calls futuristic antiquity—where the deep resonance of classical cello intertwines with layered, processed electric sounds, crafted through looping and effects pedals (notably, the BOSS ME-70 and BOSS RC 600). The result is a rich, genre-defying experience that invites the listener into a contemplative, often healing, sonic space.

Collaborations & Projects

Keely’s collaborations span the globe and a wide spectrum of performing arts. She is the co-creator of Delphi Project, alongside international award-winning pianist and composer Elizabeth Garland. She has also performed as a supporting musician for Yungchen Lhamo (Tibetan Buddhist singer on Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records) and opened for renowned cellist Zoë Keating at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe.

She was selected for the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (NYCEMF) 2021, the largest festival of its kind, in collaboration with Iranian composer and musician Madyar Ghazinejad. Keely has also participated in the TurnUP Multimedia Festival and other regional arts and tech events.

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In 2024, she was honored as a selected composer and performer for Albuquerque’s Hear Here Festival, a collaboration between Keshet Dance & Center for the Arts and the City of Albuquerque. She was paired with choreographer and aerialist Court Kessler to create a unique interdisciplinary work.

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Keely has received multiple grants including:

• A 2020 Levitt Foundation Grant (Downtown Gallup Rocks Concert Series)

• A 2022–2023 Resiliency Residency Grant from Albuquerque’s Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, supporting her multimedia album release and macrophotography workshops at FUSION Theatre

• Her work during this residency was featured in one of ten mini-documentaries from a pool of 100 grantees

Additionally, she has been sponsored by AMP Concerts for eight concert performances across New Mexico.

New Project: Melodious Ceremonia

After meeting at the 2021 New Mexico Music Awards, Keely began collaborating with award-winning musician Eli del Puerto to form Melodious Ceremonia. Their debut album Cosmic Task was released in July 2025. The project focuses on healing music ceremonies that combine live looping cello, vocals, beats, and audience participation, offering a space for collective transformation and sound-based ritual.

Artistic Mission

Celloquacious is not just a musical act—it’s an artistic concept grounded in communication through the cello. Keely’s vision has three core aspirations:

1. To deeply connect and move audiences through the universal language of music

2. To foster collaboration and community-building through the arts

3. To contribute a spirit of healing to the wider world

Keely’s art is soulful, evocative, and transformative—a conversation between cello, spirit, and sound.