Death Work
People have begun to call me a Death Doula through music—a title that humbles me, yet feels deeply true. My path into this sacred work began at 18, while studying art and cello at JMU, as I began to process a Near Death Experience through creating immersive installations and performance art. From that threshold moment, I was called deeper into the realms of death, grief, and transformation.
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Over the years, my cello became more than an instrument—it became a voice for the inexpressible, a vessel for emotion, and a companion in crossing. My music is deeply emotive, carrying the unspoken language of the soul. I’ve been invited to play at bedsides, during final breaths, at funerals, and at celebrations of life in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and beyond. Each time, I offer my music as a bridge between worlds.
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This work has since expanded into large-scale ceremonial productions that guide people through the elemental forces—Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ether—using sound, movement, visual art, and ritual to facilitate emotional release and deep healing. Still, some of the most powerful moments happen in the most intimate spaces: a quiet room, a single candle, a loved one transitioning, and the tender vibration of the cello holding it all. These are the moments I treasure most.
Funerals & Celebrations of Life
An award-winning and internationally recognized cellist and composer, Keely Mackey-Gonzales brings a unique perspective and deep sensitivity to every funeral and celebration of life.
With over two decades of experience performing for life transition events, Keely offers music that not only brings comfort in the moment but also lingers as a lasting memory.
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Her versatility allows her to tailor the music to each ceremony, whether through solo cello, live-looping cello, or electric cello. This creates rich, layered, and moving soundscapes that honor the life being remembered with depth and beauty.
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Having personally experienced the challenges of planning during times of loss, Keely understands how overwhelming this process can be. Her hope is to bring peace to your heart and ease to your mind as you navigate this meaningful time.
KRQE News 13 Interview
Death Inspired
Original Compositions
Keely sat down in the recording studio four days after Joshua Chavez had passed from cancer at the young age of 34 (Keely knew Joshua since he was 8). For the next 6 1/2 minutes, the song Angels flowed from her fingers for the first time. Captured live. First time. Keely felt that Joshua was being guided by the Angels, through the layers of Heaven.
Six months later, Keely won the New Mexico Music Award in the Ambient Category for her song, Angels, and was a finalist for Best Instrumental Performance, and Joshua's mother, Tania, was honored to be by Keely's side during the NMMA Ceremony.
Keely sat down with her cello. There were no words that could express the depth of her grief.
She pressed record and let the music flow—spontaneously channeling a piece that came through her for the first time just hours after learning of her beloved godson Derek’s sudden and tragic passing at the age of 21.
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This piece, Requiem, gives voice to what words cannot—the indescribable pain of losing a child.
Many who listen to Requiem find it deeply cathartic, as the cello seems to weep through Keely’s hands, offering a space for sorrow, reflection, and healing.
Ceremonies Honoring Transitions, Grief and Healing in Community
Keely has led large-scale productions attended by hundreds, as well as intimate gatherings in people’s homes—each designed to honor life’s meaningful transitions through ritual and ceremony.
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Her work moves beyond words. Through the expressive language of the cello, and her gifts as a visual artist and educator, Keely weaves the sacred elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ether into each offering. She creates spaces for reflection, healing, and transformation—guiding others through the depths of emotion with care and intention.
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Keely also collaborates with organizations (such as the Downwinders) to design and facilitate ceremonies that thoughtfully serve and uplift the community.
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You can also see (in the video below) some of Keely's work as a visual arts educator in her South Valley Albuquerque school community, Carlos Rey Elementary School, building an Ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos.
End of Life
Keely feels a deep calling to bring comfort through music to those at the end of life—and to their loved ones walking alongside them in this sacred transition.
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She has been invited to play her cello at the bedside of individuals preparing to leave this world. Time and again, families and caregivers have shared how her music eased pain, soothed agitation, and brought a sense of peace to the room. Keely has witnessed moments of profound connection—where someone who had not responded in days would open their eyes at the end of a song.
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For Keely, this is a honor and a deeply humbling experience. As hearing is one of the last senses to remain, the soulful, heart-opening sound of the cello can be a powerful and calming presence at this threshold. It is her hope that this music can help ease the journey for all who are present.
Here is the music video for the song, Transfiguration. In the video, you will find a
detailed explanation of the context within the large production, When the Veil Thins,
at South Broadway Cultural Center, with hundreds of people in attendance.
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Keely's song, Transfiguration, was honored as a semi-finalist for International Songwriting Competition 2024
(the largest songwriting competition in the world, with an average of 20,000 entries).
Her music video was featured in the HODGEPODGE Shorts Deux Film Screening in 2025.