Conversations with Carolyn Regula

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn Regula.

Hi Carolyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I decided to go into music school, I was awe-struck by artists like Apocalyptica, Lindsey Stirling, and the Vitamin String Quartet. They were blending their love for instrumental music with genre fusion, and their audiences were floored by their ingenuity. However, I soon learned that this road was unconventional and required a lot of perseverance and “figuring it out as you went along.” By 2018 I had worked on my confidence and felt ready to pursue this path by myself. That’s when I started my first profile as The Cello Doll, and that was on Instagram. I started with practice room videos, excerpts of concertos, and was soon making music videos of instrumental covers and original compositions. This decision led me to meeting other creative string players online, and a community that I had been searching for. As that profile grew, I branched out to Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
Being The Cello Doll has led my career to places I would have never expected. I have become an electric cello specialist and am also known for my gothic aesthetic. This has really inspired my original music and crafting a live show experience. I’ve also had the chance to play a wide variety of venues, anywhere from festival stages to symphonic halls. One major highlight was being chosen to appear as a guest artist alongside Lindsey Stirling, during her 2023 summer tour. I got to meet one of my initial role models and it was incredible encouragement for growing The Cello Doll. Now, across various platforms, I have a fanbase of 20K followers and nearly 2 million views on my YouTube Channel. I am now studying a lot of alternative rock music, transcribing guitar solos, and figuring out more ways to bridge genres gaps. All of this was possible from the technique I gained from my classical studies and a drive to reach an online audience.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Any musical career will present its unique challenges. Since I came from a very traditional, conservatory background, there weren’t a lot of resources about genre fusion and crafting live shows. I didn’t know anything about PA systems, pedal boards, sound effects, or DAWs. Thankfully I was able to find resources during my last music school program in NYC, but I had to learn a lot of it from colleagues outside of school. I’m always in a state of learning and improving.
When I first started The Cello Doll, my biggest hurdle was Imposter Syndrome. Most of my peers in college were auditioning for major orchestras, professor positions, or making chamber ensembles. It was hard to find peers that understood my goals until I went on social media. I often felt like a misfit, not traditional enough for a solely classical career, but also not experienced enough in genre fusion. However, my technical playing and ability to analyze music sky-rocketed over the course of my music degrees. Taking those skills and being able to adapt them has taken a lot of time, discipline, and self-encouragement. I soon learned that applying those skills in live shows paid off because I gained experience. Even if it wasn’t perfect, I still learned and grew my skill sets. That knowledge really gave me more confidence to keep putting myself out there and finding more opportunities and mentors.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a cello player who composes and arranges music through the lens of a gothic storyteller. I am passionate about live performance and finding beauty in the strange and unusual. I also have a rocker side and play alternative genres like emo rock and metal on my electric cello. My classical background has given me a technique to play virtuosic cello while learning how to play new styles efficiently. Additionally I am known for my teaching style and have a lot of popular cello lesson tutorials on YouTube. I really value making cello technique accessible for anyone who is excited to learn more about the instrument.
I am most proud of the perseverance I have had to make a unique career that fulfills all of my musical interests. I feel like I have made an artistic presence that is authentic to me instead of what’s “trending” online. I also never expected to perform electric cello as much as I do acoustic cello. That has opened so many exciting doors for me and a whole new sound world to play around in. In addition to electric cello and my unique aesthetic, I think my work ethic really sets me apart. I’ve always had the dedication to figure out a piece of music, no matter how many hours it takes. I see myself as a detective in my practice room, analyzing what I need to do to learn a new piece or genre. I’ve also learned how harmful doubt is, and that you can’t anticipate your skill level before trying something out and giving it your all. I think all of that has led me to present day and one of the busiest performance years I’ve had, which has included appearances with Foreigner and Air Supply.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I feel like reinventing a cello career (a career path that’s centuries old) is always filled with risky decisions. Since I am my own boss, and don’t work for an institution, I don’t have a consistent salary or calendar. That gives me so much freedom and variety, but is also my biggest risk. However, knowing this and embracing it means I will put in the time to have plans and resources to make it work.
Also, doing something without knowing whether it will be successful is a risk. However, even if something doesn’t go as planned, I know I will gain valuable knowledge for the future. That knowledge will give me more ways to adapt, plan ahead, or inspire new ideas. I feel like a lot of artists I talk to recognize the risk, but also accept it as a part of the career we chose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cellodoll.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecellodoll/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecellodoll/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/TheCelloDoll?sub_confirmation=1
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6K0e2XHOJXHjWAu1Q8CKx1?si=SQ8h9PFTTkSiaGKzznYgRA

Image Credits
Personal Image – Hazuki Photography
Halloween Music Video Stills – Light Forge Studios
All other images – Hazuki Photography