Brian Thornton, acclaimed cello soloist and distinguished member of the Cleveland Orchestra, collaborates with Steinway Artist Spencer Myer on a fabulous new recording of the great Sonatas for Cello and Piano by Johannes Brahms. Brian Thornton is a musician of many interests. As a cellist and a conductor he has performed in hundreds of venues across the globe, from The White House in Washington DC to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. He has performed as a soloist with more than 30 orchestras, and conducts his own ensemble based in Solon, Ohio. He has a special interest in modern music, which has led him to premier works of little and well-known composers such as Donald Erb and John Adams. Pianist Spencer Myer has been lauded by the Boston Globe for his “superb playing” and “poised, alert musicianship” and labeled “a man to watch” by London’s The Independent. Myer’s career was launched with three important prizes: First Prize in the 2004 UNISA International Piano Competition in South Africa, the 2006 Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship from the American Pianists Association and the Gold Medal from the 2008 New Orleans International Piano Competition. He is also a laureate of the 2007 William Kapell, 2005 Cleveland and 2005 Busoni International Piano Competitions.