Instagram story viewer> @gentryjanise> Posts

Ja'Nise Gentry

@gentryjanise

810

followers

1397

following

#cellist 🎻🎶🎼🎵
#mba
Converging classical & contemporary music
Psm 150:4 ✝️
1 Sam 16:23 ⛪
For business inquiries email [email protected] or DM me

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

I'm not new to this, I'm true to this 🎻

Everybody starts somewhere, but over time you'll see your consistent work pay off.

Top Photo: "Alabama School of Fine Arts Outstanding Musician" award and "Birmingham String Orchestra Certificate" (circa 2005)

Bottom Photo: "2024 Bama Jazz Female Artist" from @alabamamusicawards

*I started string/music classes with the Music Opportunity Program. Props to my very first string/music/cello teacher Sherry Smith 😊 🎶 And props to my current cello teacher Patricia Pilon. Great teachers make the difference 🙏🏾

Where it started: 🎻 musicopportunityprogram@gmail.com

#cellist #musician #awardwinner
#FlashbackFriday #win by @gentryjanise

23

0

2 years ago

Pablo Casals, the legendary cellist, conductor, and composer, said it best: "The cello is like a beautiful woman who has not grown older, but younger with time—more slender, more supple, more graceful."
I’ll take his word for it and age like a cello—timeless, elegant, and glowing in this brown skin. 🎻✨

Cue Brown Skin Girl by Beyoncé… because this melanin stays undefeated. 😌

#Cellist #BlackDontCrack #Millennial #BrownSkinGirl by @gentryjanise

30

3

a year ago

"There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true it can pierce the veil between life and death, conjuring spirits from the past and the future." – Sinners

My music is my truth. It holds the echoes of my ancestors, the sacred love between people, and my connection to God. Every note I play is layered with memory — pain, joy, survival, and hope.

This isn’t just music — it’s legacy. My sound carries our history: the coded spirituals, the cries of resistance, the tenderness of love songs sung in the dark. Through my cello, I tell stories without speaking — stories rooted in the Black experience, in faith, and in healing.

My music shifts rooms. It creates atmosphere. It’s a God-given gift that transcends the moment and touches something eternal. Every tone, every rhythm, is intentional — it opens space for healing, for reflection, for spirit.

This is my offering. This is my sound. 🎻

#Cellist #BlackMusicMonth #Musician #Sinners by @gentryjanise

35

9

a year ago

🎭🎻 Some opportunities come back around in the best ways! Two years after playing cello for Hadestown at my alma mater, Shades Valley High School, I’m back for another production—this time at the Alabama School of Fine Arts! ❤️

A special thank-you to my Shades Valley family for connecting me with @yacblues two years ago, and to Mr. Yarbrough for inviting me to play in that production and recommending me for this one. I appreciate you all thinking of me and helping these opportunities come full circle!

Birmingham, come experience Hadestown: Teen Edition at ASFA this week! 🎟️

📍 Alabama School of Fine Arts — DJD Theater

✨ Thursday, October 15 | 6:00 PM
✨ Friday, October 16 | 7:00 PM
✨ Saturday, October 17 | 2:30 PM

Come support these talented young performers!

🎟️ Tickets and details: https://www.asfaschool.org/community-engagement/asfa-performance-season

#Cellist #Hadestown #LiveTheatre #TheatreMusic #BirminghamArts taken in Shades Valley High School by @gentryjanise

3

1

21 hours ago

🎭🎻 Look what I found in my camera roll!

Ahhh, the memories! A little throwback to two years ago, when I played cello for Hadestown at my alma mater, Shades Valley High School. 🫶🏾

It’s a full-circle moment getting to play for this production again, this time at the Alabama School of Fine Arts! I can’t wait to see how this show comes to life and to be part of the magic once again.

And this is why exposing young people to the arts matters. You never know what a student might discover, what sparks their interest, or what they might become one day simply because they had the opportunity to experience something new. ❤️

Birmingham, come support these talented young performers! Have you gotten your tickets yet? 👀🎟️

📍 Alabama School of Fine Arts — DJD Theater

🎟️ Tickets and showtimes: https://www.asfaschool.org/community-engagement/asfa-performance-season

#Cellist #Hadestown #Throwback #LiveTheatre #TheatreMusic taken in Shades Valley High School by @gentryjanise

4

0

3 days ago

🎭🎻 FROM THE STAGE TO THE SOUNDTRACK!

I’m happy to be playing cello for Hadestown: Teen Edition for the SECOND time! 🫶🏾✨ This time, I’ll be joining the production at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, helping bring this incredible story to life through music.

Birmingham, come experience the music, mythology, and magic of Hadestown live! 🎭❤️

📍 Alabama School of Fine Arts — DJD Theater

🎟️ Showtimes:
✨ Thursday, October 15 | 6:00 PM
✨ Friday, October 16 | 7:00 PM
✨ Saturday, October 17 | 2:30 PM

Come support these talented young performers and experience the magic for yourself!

🎫 Tickets and details: [ASFA Performance]
https://www.asfaschool.org/community-engagement/asfa-performance-season

#Cellist #Hadestown #LiveTheatre #TheatreMusic #BirminghamArts LivePerformance AlabamaArts taken in ASFAalums by @gentryjanise

1

1

5 days ago

For all my Bridgerton lovers… 🫶🏾✨

“If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys — but make it Bridgerton. 🎻❤️

This was a little bonus I threw in for Ben and his lovely fiancée during their surprise proposal. And if you’re ever wondering whether a cello can give you a full sound for your event… don’t worry. She can. 😌 Between the cello, my arrangements, and the tracks I use, I can create a sound that fills the room while still keeping that intimate, live-music feel.

This is what I mean when I say I "reimagine music". Taking a song you know, putting my own cello voice on it, and giving it a completely different feel. 💅🏾

#Cellist #LiveMusic #CelloCover #WeddingMusic #MusicReimagined by @gentryjanise

4

1

10 days ago

Met the love of your life? 💕
Got the ring? 💍
Booked the venue? ✨
Picked the date? 👀

Okay then… WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! Your cellist should be on that list too. 💅🏾

“Where Have You Been” by Rihanna was one of the requests for this summer proposal, and I had so much fun giving it my own cello treatment. If you’re planning a proposal, wedding, engagement, anniversary, or a special date night, don’t just pick the venue and the flowers — think about the soundtrack, too. 🫶🏾

Your special moment deserves music that feels personal to you. Whether you want a classic love song, a current hit, or that one completely unexpected song that makes everybody say “wait… you’re playing THAT on cello?!” — send me the request. 🎤🎻

So… where have you been? Let’s get your date on the calendar. 💌

#Cellist #LiveMusic #CelloCover #WeddingMusic #MusicReimagined taken in Gaitlinburg TN by @gentryjanise

4

2

15 days ago

Trap Queen on cello. AYYYE. 👐🏾🔥

This was a request from Ben’s son, and once again, this is one of those songs where there’s no sheet music for me to pull from. When I get requests like this, the music has to come from within — my inner rhythm, my musical instincts, and a little help from all the ancestors. ❤️ I’m taking the energy of the original song and finding its voice on the cello. My cello raps. Period. 🎤🎻

And honestly, this is exactly why I love what I do. If there’s a song that means something to you — even if it’s completely unexpected for a cello — send me the request. Weddings, proposals, engagements, private events, date nights… let’s make your soundtrack sound like YOU. 💪🏾

#Cellist #LiveMusic #CelloCover #WeddingMusic #MusicReimagined taken in Gaitlinburg TN by @gentryjanise

10

2

16 days ago

AYYYE… DON’T KILL MY VIBE. 💅🏾

This was one of those requests that stretched me a little, and I LOVE an out-of-the-box request. ❤️

One thing they don’t necessarily teach you coming up playing strings is how to arrange and improvise. Especially when someone gives you a rap song and says, “Play this on cello.”

They gave me the song request ahead of time, but there’s no standard cello arrangement for songs like this. So I have to listen, figure out how I want to translate the song to cello, and create a musical voice for it.

And honestly, that’s what I’ve become known for — taking contemporary songs, especially songs you might not expect to hear on cello, and finding a way to make them work on the instrument. 👐🏾

That’s a skill I’m getting better at every day, and I love that my cello can move across genres and still sound like me.

New skill unlocked: apparently my cello sings AND raps now. 🎤🎻

And what a statement to make on your special day:

DON’T KILL MY VIBE. 💪🏾

I even threw a little remix into this clip. 👀

Can you guess what song I remixed it to?

HINT: Think ATL, fresh fits, and a song that made being clean sound effortless.

Drop your guess below! 👇🏾

#Cellist #LiveMusic #CelloCover #WeddingMusic #MusicReimagined taken in Gaitlinburg TN by @gentryjanise

9

2

17 days ago

🎻✨ THIS is how you do a surprise summer proposal. 💍

A beautiful cabin overlooking the mountains. 🏔️
Me playing the cello. 🎻
Friends and family there to celebrate. 🥂
A hibachi experience. 🔥

And the song requests?! 🔥

🎻 “Trap Queen” — Fetty Wap
🎻 “Don’t Kill My Vibe” — Kendrick Lamar
🎻 “Where Have You Been” — Rihanna

And because I had to throw in a bonus… “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys — the Bridgerton orchestral version. 🥹🎻

That one is ALWAYS a hit for weddings, engagements, proposals, and romantic moments. ✨

Congratulations to Ben and his lovely fiancée on their engagement! 🥂💍 Y’all were easily one of the most FUN couples I’ve had the pleasure of playing for so far. The energy was GOOD, and I loved being part of such a special moment this summer.

Cuffing season is coming up, so if you’ve been thinking about popping the question, planning an engagement, wedding, anniversary, date night, or creating a moment they’ll never forget…

Now is the time to book your cellist.🎻💍✨

#Cellist #SurpriseProposal #EngagementIdeas #WeddingMusic #LiveMusic taken in Gaitlinburg TN by @gentryjanise

22

6

18 days ago

*Newslink in comments*

63 years later, we are still telling the story.

On September 15, 1963, the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church killed four little girls and two little boys and changed Birmingham and the nation forever. @sarahcollinsrudolp was only 12 years old when she survived the bombing that killed her sister, Addie Mae Collins.

There is history. And then there is herstory. ❤️

For too long, too many stories have been buried, minimized, or left out of the textbooks. We are not burying our stories anymore. And we are not burying hers.

Mrs. Rudolph has carried her story for more than six decades, continuing to speak with strength and boldness so future generations can know what happened, who was lost, and what it took to survive.

Birmingham and the South have long been places where movements for change have taken root. Much of the progress and many of the freedoms and civil liberties Americans have today are connected to people who stood up, organized, marched, protested, prayed, and created “good trouble” right here.

This country needs us. And it needs us to remember.

I’m grateful that our Good Trouble Lives On gathering gave us the opportunity to hear directly from Mrs. Rudolph. We literally got to give her her flowers in person. 🌹 And I’m especially grateful to @wbrcnews for seeing the value in her story and giving it space. 📰❤️

Thank you to Mrs. Rudolph and Mr. Rudolph, our funders and community partners, panelists, musicians, artists, faith leaders, volunteers, and everyone who helped make that gathering possible.

We preserve history by listening to the people who lived it—and by making sure their stories continue forward.

Mrs. Rudolph’s story is history. Her story is herstory. And we will keep telling it. ❤️✊🏾

#GoodTroubleLivesOn #SarahCollinsRudolph #BlackHistory #SocialJustice #Cellist by @gentryjanise

8

5

a month ago