Lydia Rueger

In 2010, the McConnell Foundation in Redding, California, commissioned Cullinan to write a live family show that would be performed alongside an orchestra, with the help of conductor Kyle Pickett, Cullinan’s old friend from Stanford.The live shows—long-form musical theater for kids and newcomers—began selling out large auditoriums. Cullinan began playing across the country with orchestras including the North State Symphony in California, the Springfield Symphony in Missouri, the Juneau Symphony in Alaska, and Lone Tree Symphony near his home.