Houston Cellist Nathaniel Cook Joins Recording Academy

For Nathaniel Cook, joining the Recording Academy’s Class of 2026 was more than a career milestone. It was affirmation of a musical journey that has been guided by curiosity, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to authenticity.

The Houston-based cellist was about to begin an Orangetheory class when the email arrived. “I immediately ran outside,” Cook recalls. “I started texting my friends and family. I was writing, ‘Oh my God, it happened. I’m so excited.’ It was a huge adrenaline rush.”

Now among the voting members who help determine the Grammy Awards, Cook joins the Recording Academy at a pivotal moment for both the music industry and LGBTQIA+ representation. As artificial intelligence reshapes music production and conversations around equity continue to evolve, they see an opportunity to advocate for artists whose voices have too often been overlooked.

“As a queer artist, it’s clear that—politically—sometimes it’s easier to be silenced,” Cook admits. “I think at the Recording Academy level, having a voice and having a seat at the table as a queer person, allows us to say, ‘Hey, these are the places in which we have been historically underrepresented,’ or ‘It feels like we may need to reevaluate why it is that this person is getting recognition over that person because the music is just as good.’”

“You have to have the marginalized voices in the room,” they add. “I’m excited to be a part of those conversations and to help maybe eliminate some blind spots for folks.”

Music has been part of Cook’s life almost from the beginning. Raised in a deeply musical family, they began playing piano at age two before setting their sights on the cello. “I knew when I was about nine years old that I was going to play the cello, and no one believed me,” they remember. “But I was very determined that that was what I was going to do.” And, by their early teens, Cook had landed their first paid performance and discovered they could build a life doing what they loved.

That career has taken them far beyond the traditional classical stage. Cook has performed with rock bands at House of Blues, collaborated with spoken-word artists in Houston, played Indian classical music, appeared alongside Andrea Bocelli, and worked on projects for Disney and HBO. “My work as a musician is dynamic,” they explain. “I hope that the experience that you receive when you’re listening to me perform is someone who is pulling from all of these vast experiences.” Above all, Cook emphasizes, “I really want people to have a good time.”

That expansive artistic approach also informs Cook’s perspective on visibility. While they have seen classical music become increasingly welcoming to LGBTQIA+ artists, they acknowledge that progress has been gradual. “I’ve seen that change take place,” they point out. “Audiences are like, ‘We don’t care about that.’ And as audiences are changing, the classical world is like, ‘Okay, it’s time for us to adapt as well.’”

Cook hopes their own visibility encourages younger queer musicians to embrace who they are without compromise. “My hope is that by being out and vocally who I am, that there are younger folks who feel ‘Oh, it’s okay. I can do that too,’” they state. “Don’t be afraid just because someone said ‘No.’ There’s someone else who’s going to say ‘Yes,’ I promise.”

That optimism has been tested before. Shortly after completing their cello studies, Cook was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, forcing them to stop playing and relearn their instrument from the ground up. Later, the COVID-19 pandemic erased an entire year of booked performances almost overnight. Rather than walking away from music, Cook adapted.

“Every day, I did a little technical exercise no matter how badly it may have sounded to me,” they reveal. “Slowly, I was able to get back my facilities in my hands.”

During the pandemic, they also transformed a spare bedroom into a recording studio, learned guitar, and created what they now call their “pandemic recordings.” Cook explains, “It also pushed me again to be more creative and say, ‘Yes, it’s a setback, but what can we do? What can I do to get through this?’”

Additionally, Houston has become an important part of Cook’s current chapter. Having lived in the city for just over two years, they explain that they have been struck by how eager artists are to collaborate across disciplines. “What surprised me about the art community is how connected people want to be with one another and how many spaces there are for us to connect,” they observe. Meeting dancers, actors, sculptors, and visual artists has inspired new creative possibilities.

Offstage, they’ve also found a sense of belonging in Houston’s LGBTQIA+ community. “I love being up here in the Heights, but also being in Montrose,” Cook says of where they live and hang out. Visits to the Menil Collection and evenings in the neighborhood often feel surprisingly familiar. “Every time I’m out somewhere, I see someone that I know,” they share. “It doesn’t feel like I live in this multi-million population city.”

As Cook looks ahead to new recording projects and interdisciplinary collaborations, they remain focused on creating music that offers audiences something increasingly rare, which is a chance to simply be present. “I really hope that my music connects with them,” they say, “that it’s just this little capsule of time where nothing else really matters and you just get to be there with the music.”
“If you don’t enjoy the music, then I haven’t done my job,” Cook concludes.

Keep up with Nathaniel Cook on Instagram @nathaniellcook