Emil & Dariel

Emil & Dariel represent a new era in music that join together the past with the future. The orchestral rock duo genre bends the classical cello, taking it to new heights; plugging in and ripping out solos with a ferocity that awakens the senses.

The teenage rock cello sensation gained worldwide exposure on the NBC-TV Nationally syndicated program America’s Got Talent in 2014. The brothers’ live performance of the Hendrix classic tune- “Purple Haze” created an instant viral video and garnered over 10 million views on YouTube. The boys finished as finalists and became a part of AGT live shows in Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas.

How it all began…

From a young age, brothers Emil and Dariel have been making a name for themselves around the world as bold, creative young artists, forever changing how people view this classical instrument.

In 2013, Emil and Dariel were featured by the internationally renowned Sony Masterworks recording artists, 2Cellos, praising their performance on America’s Got Talent, nicknaming the brothers 2Cellos Junior. Shortly after, Emil and Dariel were invited to appear as guest performers during 2Cellos’ U.S. tour in Orlando and Tampa.
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In 2016, Emil and Dariel shared the stage with their childhood idols, Apocalyptica, during their sold-out Shadowmaker tour. Apocalyptica, the world famous Finnish cello rock band, having numerous #1 rock radio hits, selling over 6 million records worldwide, forever revolutionized the cello and people’s perception of what the instrument is capable of.

Emil and Dariel have shared the stage with some of music’s biggest names such as FLO RIDA, Ricky Martin, Mike Reno of Loverboy, Kelli Pickler, Robin Thicke, Rick Derringer, Apocalyptica, will.i.am, and 2CELLOS.

Musical gratitude

Emil and Dariel work daily on their music, exploring new cello techniques, and trying to stretch the instrument to unknown depths. The brothers come from several generations of classical musicians. Their extensive classical training comes from their grandfather, Leonid Rubanchik, principal cellist, cello professor, and a student of Piatigorsky. They began playing the cello when they were 4-years old. Their long hours of practice were under the strict guidance of their grandfather who instilled in them hard work, dedication, and passion in pursuit of their career. The brothers are extremely grateful to their grandfather for inspiring them to play the cello and for his selfless dedication in teaching them. Emil and Dariel credit their success to years of intense practice, patience, perseverance, and disciplined commitment, which has made them worthy of the great recognition they’ve received at such a young age.

« They’re not your grandfather’s cello players — but they have their grandfather to thank for propelling them to stardom. »
– New York Times

Yamin launched his recording career following his appearance on American Idol Season 5 as the top 3 finalist. His highly anticipated debut album Elliott Yamin, debuted at Number 3 on the Billboard album chart was the highest-debuting album by an independent artist in SoundScan history. The self-titled disc achieved gold status in the U.S. and Japan (where he continues to tour and maintain a large audience), and yielded the platinum hit ‘Wait for You.’ In the wake of the first album’s release, Yamin received considerable media exposure on countless television shows and toured extensively around the world with his live band. He released the Christmas-themed “Sounds of the Season: The Elliott Yamin Holiday Collection’. It was reissued in expanded form the following year as ‘My Kind of Holiday’. Yamin’s second album, ‘Fight for Love’, followed, spawning the successful singles ‘Fight for Love’ and ‘Can’t Keep on Loving You (From a Distance)’. His third album, ‘Let’s Get to What’s Real’, found Yamin stretching as an artist as a writer and co-producer.

Yamin continues to tour domestically and internationally which have also included three trips to Africa as a spokesman and advocate to the ‘Malaria no More Foundation’ as well as a variety of charities, relief groups and peace organizations.

Having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 16, he has worked tirelessly to use his platform for advocacy and is a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to help create awareness, raise money for research and help find a cure.

Elliott Yamin was born in Los Angeles and soon after, his family moved to Pasadena, CA where he first discovered his vocal talent while singing with his neighbors. Yamin later moved to Richmond, VA as a youth, and soon found employment singing cover material in a local jazz group and working as a DJ on a local R&B radio station.

While Yamin was working in a pharmacy when he took a chance and drove to Boston, Massachusetts to audition for American Idol and won a spot on Season 5. His signature performances on the show, with renditions of James Moody’s “Moody’s Mood For Love’, Leon Russell’s ‘A Song for You’, Elvis Presley’s ‘Trouble’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘If You Really Love Me’ made him a fan favorite and catapulted him to 3rd place in that season. Simon Cowell described him as “potentially the best male vocalist” of the competition, while Stevie Wonder encouraged him to pursue music full-time.

It’s been full steam ever since.