Creating Safe Spaces for Artists to Become Themselves

The Cellotree Arts Mission & Our Call for Aligned Investors

Vision & Founder Story - By Sarah Clanton — Artist, Founder & Creative Director

For more than twenty years, I’ve lived my life inside the music industry — as a touring artist, educator, recording cellist, songwriter, community builder, and advocate for independent musicians. My career has taken me from the classical world to international stages, from signing record deals to navigating their collapse, and ultimately to building a life as an independent artist who not only survived, but became committed to helping others thrive.

My journey has taken me across the country and overseas, but its roots are in something simple and deeply human:

Artists need safe spaces to become themselves.

This belief comes directly from my own story.

As a classically trained cellist who never fully fit into the classical mold, I spent years searching for my place. I knew music was my calling, but I didn’t yet know how to exist authentically within it. The turning point came unexpectedly — first at a college open mic, and later at Bonnaroo, when I watched another cellist completely rewrite the rules of what the instrument could do.

For the first time, I realized:
You don’t have to fit the mold to belong. You can create the space you need.

That revelation opened the door to my entire career — touring internationally, collaborating with Grammy winners and nominees, releasing music, and building community wherever I went. And eventually, it inspired the heart of my life’s work:

Cellotree Arts Presents

Cellotree Arts Presents is a rapidly growing, artist-centered ecosystem based in East Nashville. What began as a house-concert series has become a creative incubator that offers musicians a safe, supportive, radically welcoming space to share their work, build community, and expand their opportunities.

Throughout the year we host gatherings and concerts, with our most notable event taking place during AmericanaFest each September. For these events, we transform our home into an intimate venue and creative haven. During AmericanaFest, we host nearly 100 artists from around the globe, across three days — offering far more than a stage:

Community, connection, and belonging
A soft landing in Nashville for artists at every career stage
A collaborative, genre-fluid environment to take creative risks
Real relationships that lead to tours, co-writes, recordings, and long-term momentum

Artists often tell us, “I didn’t know a place like this existed.”
And that’s exactly the point.

But Cellotree Arts Presents is only one branch of a larger vision — again, inspired by my own story.

Tunedough® — Empowering the Artist’s Business

In 2018, after my former record label was revealed to be a Ponzi scheme, my contracts were terminated. Though devastating, this allowed me to recover my intellectual property — and in the process, I discovered thousands of dollars in unclaimed royalties I hadn’t known were mine.

That moment changed everything. It showed me how many artists are creating extraordinary work while missing out on income they’ve already earned.

So I founded Tunedough®, an educational platform offering one-on-one consultations and a self-guided course that teaches musicians how to find, claim, and protect their royalties and build a sustainable creative business.

Tunedough® is currently being reconstructed so it can integrate more fully into the broader Cellotree vision and serve even more artists in the next chapter of this mission.

Where We’re Growing Next

In April 2026, I will serve as Music Programmer for the ÉCU Film Festival in Paris — a global event where music and film intersect. After several years performing at the festival, I’ve now been invited to curate three full days and nights of music, workshops, and panels for artists from around the world.

This is a full-circle moment that perfectly aligns with Cellotree’s mission.
We will not only showcase music, but also offer educational programming led by musicians with sync experience and music supervisors who can equip artists with practical tools to seize opportunity.

For the first time, Cellotree Arts Presents will uplift artists not only in Nashville — but internationally.

Why I’m Seeking an Aligned Investment Partner

As Cellotree grows, so does its impact — and its financial needs.
We are seeking investment to:

1. Pay Artists Fairly

Our events currently operate through heart, passion, and community support — but not yet at a sustainable economic level. Funding would allow us to compensate artists equitably and professionally.

2. Expand Our Nashville Flagship Events

Cellotree Arts Presents has outgrown our current capacity. Because my partner Andy and I rent our home, we cannot sustainably expand programming or build the infrastructure needed for long-term growth. To deepen this work, we need a dedicated physical space or land for retreats, workshops, performances, recording and artist housing.

3. Build the International Branch (Paris 2026 & Beyond)

To establish a repeatable model for showcasing and supporting artists across borders — beginning with ÉCU 2026 and expanding into future global opportunities.

4. Lay the Foundation for a Long-Term Creative Ecosystem

This includes year-round programming, partnerships, branded events, Tunedough® education, and ultimately a permanent creative home.

The Bigger Purpose

Cellotree Arts Presents is not just an event series.
Tunedough® is not just a business course.

Together, they form an ecosystem built on belonging, bravery, creative liberation, and financial empowerment. They exist to catch artists at some of the most pivotal moments of their careers — offering what I once needed but could not find:

A place to discover who you are, and then be CELLOBRATED for it.

The Vision You’re Being Invited Into

We are building a long-standing, sustainable, artist-centered ecosystem that supports creation, education, community, and global opportunity.

Think of it as a forest:

Cellotree Arts Presents is the gathering place — the communal clearing
Tunedough® is the root system — financial empowerment and education
Paris programming extends the branches globally for 2026

The forest we are growing is designed for longevity, community, and meaningful cultural impact.

We are seeking partners who believe in this mission — individuals who understand that culture grows where artists are supported, resourced, and encouraged to dream.

I am seeking not just capital, but alignment:
a partner who believes in the transformative power of art, community, and possibility; someone who sees the future not as something to predict, but something we create by investing in people.

If this resonates with you, I would love to begin the conversation.

— Sarah Clanton
Artist, Founder & Creative Director, Cellotree Arts Presents & Tunedough®
2026 Music Programmer, ÉCU Film Festival (Paris)

www.sarahclanton.com