As a recording artist, Sarah has contributed to a number of projects; one favorite was the soundtrack for the indie film Popovich and the Voice of the Fabled American West, produced and directed by Light Forge Studios filmmakers Mike and Jerry Thompson. The brothers have recently released a sequel, which also features Sarah as the soundtrack's cellist. Sarah can be found on a number of studio recordings, including: symphonic black metal band Abigail Williams' 3rd studio album "Becoming"; the 2020 EP "Sad But True" by powerhouse singer Gianna Luna; soul singer Chadwick Johnson's album "Stormy Love"; Phat Strad's studio album "Bittersweet"; EPs for steampunk/goth rock bands Queue Up and Vanity Crash; and Cleveland metal band Deadiron's debut album "Out of the Rust and Ruin." She has also recorded video and audio promo for a number of local groups and artists including crossover pianist Reuel Meditz, Vegas-based group Zen String Girls, and New York-based group Impulse Strings.
Sarah's conservatory training AND multi-genre versatility make her an artist LEADING THE WAY TO the future of music!
ARRANGING
Sarah's other passion is arranging music, and she currently has over 500 string arrangements available for purchase on Sheet Music Plus under her own publishing label, Cellobat Charts. As a conservatory student, she discovered that no one else wanted to play anything but classical music, so she began writing all-cello arrangements of rock, pop, and metal songs and recording all the parts herself. Now, her YouTube channel has over 70 videos of her own arrangements for string ensembles! Sarah's mission is to provide other string players with excellent arrangements that are user-friendly, fun to play and fun to listen to -- crowd pleasing guaranteed. Currently, she is the exclusive arranger for Premiere Wedding Music, Las Vegas Music Oasis, and Impulse Strings, and she has created custom charts for many other ensembles across North America and worldwide. She has heard from various people that her charts are "easily some of the best, if not the best, out there," "better than the ones we have," and that "you can definitely tell the difference," so she promises you won't regret checking them out! You can find her recordings on Youtube (click here), or click "Sheet Music" in navigation to find her master list of charts.
Sarah 'Cellobat' Chaffee picked up the cello at age 5, and she hasn't put it down since! She earned her bachelor's degree in cello performance under Dr. Melissa Kraut at the Cleveland Institute of Music, AND was the first student ever tO RECEIVE the Kaplow Award for Uncommon Creativity. Sarah was also the inaugural recipient of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Cello, loaned by the Daniel Pearl Foundation to ONE PROMISING cellist each year to spread their mission of "Harmony For Humanity."
PERFORMANCE
Sarah "Cellobat" Chaffee is an in-demand performer and recording artist in Las Vegas. Currently, she plays at the brand new Allegiant Stadium as a member of the house band for the Las Vegas Raiders; she is also the cellist for rock and roll legends Aerosmith in their "Deuces Are Wild" residency show at the Park Theater (Sarah's string quartet arrangement of the band's anthem "Dream On" was even featured on Steven Tyler's personal Instagram!). She has made a number of TV appearances including: the CBS reality show"Love Island," serenading one of the couples on a date; the Billboard Music Awards, backing pop superstar Halsey; the Latin Grammy Awards, with artists including Ricky Martin, Kany Garcia, Laura Pausini, Ximena and Reik; the iHeartRadio Music Festival, with artists including legendary rock band Mötley Crüe and world-renowned DJ Kygo; and a collaborative IGTV video with country stars Lady Antebellum. Other recent career highlights include performing with Michael Bublé in his sold-out two-week Las Vegas residency at Resorts World. She has also played several times with metal band Disturbed -- two shows on the band's first-ever USO tour, and one show on their Evolution Tour at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena -- and appeared with Celine Dion and Ryan Reynolds in the music video for Dion's hit single "Ashes," written for blockbuster movie Deadpool 2. Sarah has also performed as a backup musician for a multitude of other artists including Sarah Brightman, Il Divo, Dionne Warwick, and Sammy Hagar.
Sarah's other regular gigs include performing withDavid Perrico's Pop Strings Orchestra, an electrifying 14-piece dance band. As a main feature of the show, Sarah performs standing-cello rock and metal improv solos unlike anything the audience has seen before! She also plays with the Femmes Of Rock, an internationally beloved band featuring badass, beautiful rock electric string girls; Bella Electric Strings, an electric string quartet that performs all over Las Vegas and across the country; and Premiere Wedding Music, Las Vegas's highest-rated provider of acoustic strings. If you want a beer and some great bar music, you can head to McMullan's Irish Pub to see Sarah rock out with her violin/cello/guitar trio The Whisky Fiddlers; you can also often find her performing with the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra under Shea Arender. For over a year, Sarah played in Vegas headliner Frankie Moreno's residency at the Stratosphere Hotel, including a performance at the 2013 Hero Dog Awards, broadcast nationwide on the Hallmark Channel. Sarah also guests late at night with local metal cover band Tinnitus, a side project of world-renowned band members from Blue Man Group.
For over six years, Sarah was the principal cellist of Phat Strad, Las Vegas's original female rock electric string quartet. With Phat Strad, she played hundreds of shows across America - as well as in Italy, Mexico, and Canada - and opened for celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg, Kelly Clarkson, Jon Bon Jovi, Train, Gavin DeGraw, Robin Thicke, and Vanilla Ice. The group was featured at high-profile events including the Creative Arts Emmys Governors Ball, the Hyundai PGA Tournament of Champions, and the grand re-opening of the Golden Nugget Atlantic City; they also worked for prestigious clients including Porsche, Forbes, Lexus, Rolex, Neiman Marcus, and Hublot.