Martha Colby

Hello friends,

I hope that you are having a wonderful winter.  I am in New England this winter - taking a bit of a break from Yellowstone's Old Faithful.  New England has been cold and snowy, whilst I hear that Yellowstone has been warm and not very snowy.  Yick.  I'm happy with the snow and cold in New England, though I'm used to being chaperoned by snow coaches and an occasional snow mobile in winter, rather than having to drive my own 4 wheeled sled.  (with the exception of the initial 2400 mile commute to work, that is..)

I'm excited to say that I will be playing music at the Lake Hotel for the entirety of this summer of 2026 - solo - with quartet- and then solo again, sharing the piano with the wonderful Catherine Foley.  Lake was my first location in the park, therefore ever so close to my heart.  I'm not sure what my nights off  as a soloist will be yet.  The quartet traditionally has Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. I'll keep you posted.  Sending love and peace to you!

Hello hello hello!!! 

I have just finished my 3rd full week back at the Inn and have been very happy to see some old friends as well as meet some new ones. This has been an exciting year for me as I'm working to try to get some of my music placed into film or TV. I have a brand new song that is going to be released…. sooooon!  It is called “The Light of Sky” and it is a full band recording (with lead cello, of course) currently in production.  I had the great fortune of being able to work with Chris Cunningham  to record the cello and vocals at  Basecamp recording studios in Bozeman. A totally wonderful experience. I'm looking forward to 2 more weeks at the Inn before I move over to Lake to work with the Lake String Quartet again until August 5th.  I'll keep you updated on the release of “The Light of Sky”.  Cheers! 

Wooooof.... What a ride it has been lately.  The flood in Yellowstone brought a lot of devastation to many in the towns along the Yellowstone River.  My thoughts and prayers to everyone in Gardiner, Livingston, Red Lodge, Silver Gate and all other towns that were directly affected.  Here in the park, we have been navigating a whole new landscape as employees from the hardest hit areas of the park itself  - Mammoth and Roosevelt - have been moving down to the villages of Lake, Canyon, Grant and Old Faithful. A lot of changes for all of us and a whole lotta chaos!  But here we are and finally, *drum roll* after two years. *drum roll continues*  The Lake String Quartet returns to the Sun Room at the Yellowstone Lake Hotel tonight, 6/23/2022, at 6:15 pm until 10:00 pm!!! I can't wait!!!  Hope you can join Tim Tan, Colleen Tan, Michael Hall and me in our 2023 reunion. WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!! 

This is a way overdue update to say that music is live once again in the Old Faithful Inn!  Tara Cross and I are so happy and relieved to be filling the air with live music within the beloved giant tree fort once again!  I am performing from 6:15 until 10:00 pm every night except for Sunday and Monday. I'll be taking a break from the Inn from mid June until mid August rejoin the Lake String Quartet in the sun room of the Yellowstone Lake Hotel. Hoooray!!!!  I have been busily trying to catch up on my chops as well as learning new material. (Incidentally, the word "busily" was my loss in the final round of a 4th grade spelling bee. I am sure it is spelled correctly here).  Please come by and say hello and let me know what you would like to hear! 

So sad to report that my gig at the Robin's Nest this Sunday has been cancelled due to illness.  Keeping Bob and Robin in my heart and prayers for full and speedy recovery. 

Hello friends!

Welp.... what to say? It has once again been decided that music is too dangerous to have in Yellowstone National Park this winter. This will be my 4th season of sitting it out. So now what?? 

First of all, I have a gig at the Robin's Nest Bed and Breakfast on Sept 12. I usually start around 5 ish and play til 7ish.   https://www.robinsnestcody.com/ . 1508 Alger Ave, Cody WY 

I will also be playing Oct 29th in Cody at a new venue called The Colonel, also in Cody.  https://www.thecolonelvenue.com/have-fun

From there I will be floating over to the east coast, and the current plan is to land in Rhode Island for the winter.  Up, up, and away! I have attached a song of that title that I was honored to record with my dear friend, Gregory Douglass. 

Greetings! Salutations!

I just got back to Yellowstone from a wonderful journey to Sunapee Lake in NH with my family. Since I began working in Yellowstone, that annual vacation event stopped happening for me, so I'm grateful for the chance to get back to the Lake in the summertime. It's a lot warmer in August than it is in November!!! 

Due to the latest Covid outbreaks, the company I work for in Yellowstone has opted not to have live music again for winter 21-22.  I would love to find some other place where I can perform for hours every night and entertain all those who visit. Ideas or referrals are welcome! I also would love to get back into performing with others. I have no idea where I'm going to land, but keep me in mind! 

On another note, my solo cello arrangement of Pink Floyd's "Mother" is now available by contacting me as well as at Sheet Music Plus and Sheet Music Direct. I also created a solo viola arrangement for it, for all you violists! 

Coolo! I have just gotten one of my string quartet arrangements published and available for public use!  Bohemian Rhapsody, as played by the Lake String Quartet, is now available (or should be soon) for purchase where all online music is available for purchasing... 

If you are interested in any of my string arrangements, feel free to ask me directly.  

... and to top this off.. My manager, Boo, the bear... refuses to bathe until we are playing live again...  

So it is with a very heavy heart that I share that Yellowstone will have no music this summer.

  2020 and 2021 have been the first years for me in which I have not been immersed in music in some way, shape or form since.... maybe before I started playing the cello in 4th grade??? I'm not even sure of that because before I started cello lessons, I would bang and sing on the piano.. and before I started banging and singing on the piano, I would bang and sing on pots and pans...  That is not to say that I'm not working on any music, but I'm not living in a community of musicians and I am not performing nightly and trying to come up with clever arrangements of requests from you..

When I started at the Old Faithful Inn in 2011, it was a serious stretch for me to play solo -- let alone solo for 4 hours straight -- let alone solo for 4 hours straight and 5 nights a week.... and... I was hired as a pianist, sooooooo....  learning piano was a priority and a serious stress... I will never forget the night that one of our guests appeared and sat next to me.. She said "We have been enjoying your music so much... We have a room on the 3rd floor and have been listening to you from there every night and it has been wonderful!" and then she secretly whispered to  me "but just between you and me, the cellist is much better than the pianist".  I laughed my face off. I told her I couldn't agree more.  She looked mortified and said "Oh... are you the pianist as well????  I just meant... the selection of music... " it trailed off... I found it hilarious, and knew it to be true... I was definitely catching up on my piano skills that year, and every night was terrifying. I have made a lot of progress on that end, although there is always more to go, and always more to improve on the cello end as well. A couple of years later, a visitor from Australia met me in a group situation outside of the mezzanine... and he said "oh... are you the pianist???? That was wonderful.... but what's with that cello????? "  I laughed my head off of that too... 

I can't wait til I can laugh my head off again at comments like that... Perhaps Winter 21-22? 

Let us heal from this pandemic.

Now.