About Us
Lucky String Quartet
6
Scott Jackson
Violin
Scott Jackson is a concert violinist that currently plays with orchestras across the United States as a substitute in the San Diego Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and many others. He has been a semi-finalist multiple times in the national Sphinx Competition and tours nationwide as a member of the Sphinx Virtuosi. In 2015, Scott was accepted into a fellowship position with the Grant Park Symphony in Chicago, Illinois, where he performed extensively with both the orchestra as well as a member of the PI String Quartet. In 2017, Scott received his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Cincinnati College of Music and spent the year performing with All of the Above, a 6-person new music ensemble in residence at Xavier University. A full album featuring them and the music of two contemporary composers was released in 2020 to critical acclaim on Bang! Records under the title “Double Portrait”. 2018 welcomed Scott into the New World Symphony where he was a fellow for four years under the guidance of Michael Tilson Thomas.
Omar Shelly
Viola
Violist Omar Shelly is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada and after graduating from the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies and Performing and Visual Arts went on to study viola performance at both the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Jodi Levitz and the University of Michigan with Yizhak Schotten. He also received a master’s degree in Curatorial, Critical and Performance Studies as an inaugural member of The Orchestra Now at Bard College. While pursuing his musical studies, Omar had the opportunity to perform in some of the world’s most prestigious orchestral training programs and concert venues, including several occasions at Carnegie Hall with the New York String Orchestra Seminar and The Orchestra Now, the Benedict Music Tent with the Aspen Chamber Symphony, both the Royal Concertgebouw and Royal Albert Hall with the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme BBC Proms 2012, Troesh Music Hall of Toronto with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, throughout the US as a touring member of the Sphinx Virtuosi, Davies Symphony Hall and the Philharmonie Berlin as principal violist of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Sydney Opera House as assistant principal violist of the Youtube Symphony 2011 and most recently as violist of the Equitas String Quartet at both the National Orchestral Institute and Festival and the Pacific Music Institute of Hawaii. Since joining the viola section of the Las Vegas Philharmonic in 2014, Omar has been invited to perform with other major ensembles across the country including the New World Symphony, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, the Boise Philharmonic and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Mariko
cello
Mariko is a standing electric and acoustic cello performer with a worldwide reputation. She is recognized as the first Japanese solo musician ever to be seen on Cirque de Soleil’s stage and travels across the world to perform. Additionally, she has an extensive career as a recording artist and protégé of Mr. Hitoshi Konno and Japan’s top studio musician group. Besides cello, Mariko also tours as a violinist and produces her own projects by composing and performing her original music. In 2020-2022 she performed at various awards shows including Karol G at the Latin Grammys, Journey’s concert at Caesars Place Colosseum, Carry Underwood at the 2022 Grammy Awards, and for Thomas Rhett at ACM Awards in 2022. In 2019-2020, Mariko performed on Madonna’s “Madame X Tour” in USA and Europe and was featured as a scene-stealing musician on Rolling Stone’s Online Magazine. Cirque du Soleil had searched worldwide for a cellist for the MICHAEL JACKSON Immortal World Tour and Mariko was chosen to be the first Japanese musician for them. Among the 11 musicians were former original members of Michael Jackson’s supporting band. She played her original solo unaccompanied on stage and performed in a battle against the guitarist during “Beat It” with her electric cello, both of which were aired on TV in China and other countries from 2013-2014. The show went on to tour across 4 continents, 27 countries, in arenas of 141 cities, and became the biggest tour in North America. After 2015, Cirque du Soleil’s CEO, Guy Laliberte, recommended Mariko for “Zumanity”, their resident show in Las Vegas for more than 10 years. She appeared in Zumanity on 10 shows a week and performed over 1500 shows total.That same year, Mariko was a part of a special performance on Las Vegas’s Main Street, which was featured as the top news on LasVegas.com newspaper. Steven Tyler, the vocalist of Aerosmith, gave her a praise in person after watching this show.In 2016, she performed a Prince Tribute piece with Madonna at the 2016 Billboard Awards in the Las Vegas T-mobile Arena. In 2014, 2015 and 2018, STARSET, a popular American rock band, whose first single hit #1 on Rock Chart and has been in the chart over 30 weeks, welcomed her to join their US and European tour.
Lauren Cordell
violin
Lauren Cordell began violin lessons at four years old, earning a violin scholarship at the Nevada School of the Arts a year later. In elementary, junior, and high school, she was awarded Superior ratings each year at the Clark County Solo Ensemble Festival. Lauren’s professional career was launched during high school with playing engagements in the Nevada Symphony Orchestra. Later she won a tenured position with the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra. Lauren has performed in major headline shows such as Disney’s The Lion King, Mel Brooks’ The Producers, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera: The Las Vegas Spectacular, and Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers. Other shows include the annual Power of Love Gala in Las Vegas. Video, Soundtrack and TV works include; YES the band, Michel Legrand and Friends and the Grammys, Latin Grammys America’s Got Talent, The Billboard Awards, and BET Awards show. Lauren has played the Mannheim Steamroller and Cheap Trick residencies and an extended tour as a featured fiddler with Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. Lauren currently attends the University of Nevada – Las Vegas where she majors in Jazz and Commercial Studies. She is a Suzuki Certified violin teacher and also teaches viola and mandolin. She performs violin/ fiddle with her worship team at her church, Community Lutheran Church. Lauren is also a String Mentor for the Jazz Outreach Initiative (JOI) – Las Vegas Youth Jazz Orchestra (LVYJO). She plays Lead and Solo Violin for the JOI Jazz Orchestra and is also on the JOI Advisory Board.