Ahmer’e Blackman, Founding Member

Meet Ahmer’e! Cellist, Arranger & Day-Of Coordinator

How did you start playing with Radiant Strings?

I have been playing with Radiant Strings since the beginning after being recruited by my long time friend, Nicole Lennartz. We have played together dating all the way back to 2007 at Rogers CAPA Middle School. Our long standing friendship and the opportuniy to have fun and make music made it a no-brainer for me to join and help form the group. We started pulling more people together from some of our long-time musician friends who coincidentally stayed local for their undergraduate studies, and that was the base of what was to become Radiant Strings.

What makes Radiant Strings special to you?

What makes Radiant Strings special to me is that we get to be a part of cultivating a brand that is unique in Pittsburgh. We play a huge role in creating meaningful moments & memories for numerous individuals that they will remember for years to come. We also get to do what we love - make music together.

What is your favorite thing about playing with Radiant Strings?

One of my favorite things about playing with Radiant Strings is that every gig is different! I love the variety of music that we get to play at incredible local venues. It is always magical getting to see all of our client's creative visions come to life.

Brief overview of my music journey:

As a Pittsburgh Native, I was surrounded by the arts from a very young age. Starting in elementary school, I was introduced to both piano and Double Bass at Dilworth Traditional Academy. From there, I continued through middle school and early high school as a Double Bassist but transitioned to Cello my sophomore year of high school and fell in love with the instrument. I chose to keep purusing my studies in Cello Performance at Duquesne University. I’ve traveled the world with NYO-USA and The Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra performing in concert halls all over Europe and Russia. I am also on faculty at Hope Academy for the Arts and teach private lessons as well as collaborate with their Hip Hop Orchestra. I started arranging music in high school and have been able to do this a lot with Radiant Strings as well.

What do you bring to the Radiant Strings team?

Something I bring to the team is the ability to be adaptable. I’ve learned this during my full-time job. Outside of music, I spend a lot of time in the restaurant industry which always has different wild cards thrown our way. This has taught me to be flexible and adapt in different environments & curate selections of music to set the vibe for the wedding or event. I also bring my business knowledge to the administrative side of Radiant Strings and help Nicole with continuing to grow and optimize the “behind the scenes” stuff that make the business run.

Favorite cookie table cookie? Snickerdoodles