COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - There were no ushers around the cello performer. No tuxedoes. No fancy chandeliers.
There were Stag beers, two dogs scurrying under tables and a child near the low-rise stage. Later, in the middle of a rest, a man yipped.
Afterward, Steuart Pincombe, the cellist, remarked, "Well, that was quirky."
On that evening, Cafe Berlin hosted its first classical show, "Music from Familiar Spaces." Pincombe is a solo cellist who's traveling the nation in a trailer with his wife, Michelle, and Labrador retriever, Lucy.
The Pincombes have two goals: bring classical music to small, casual spaces and escape from the demanding concert hall life where Steuart Pincombe had made a name for himself in Europe.
According to his childhood instructor Michael Murray, Steuart Pincombe's ability is unparalleled.
"He's a real iconoclast, traversing historically informed baroque performance practice and contemporary music with equal panache," Murray said in an email. "His Bach, in particular, is masterful in its gestural phrasing and his timing is beyond analysis."
But rather than choosing a concert hall as a venue, which can be expensive and uncomfortable for listeners, Steuart Pincombe is opting for bars and cafes.
"This way we erase some of those barriers - not to negate the concert hall - but to meet people where they are," he said.
In fact, the National Endowment for the Arts found that the average number of attended jazz concerts, classical music performances and musicals per person has decreased recently. Older Americans were the only demographic to see an increase in attendance. The study also found that classical music attendance increased with income, as 33 percent of classical music attendees earned $100,000 or more a year.
The Columbia Missourian (http://bit.ly/1UMY5JJ) reports that to overcome financial obstacles, the Pincombes let concert-goers name their own price to see the show. Michelle Pincombe greets each attendee while Steuart creates a relaxing atmosphere as he discusses musical history, encourages questions and reveals that the strings on his cello are made from animal intestines.
At Cafe Berlin, Steuart Pincombe played pieces that ranged from Baroque to modern day.
Medical student Kinjal Majumder came to Cafe Berlin with his wife, Erica, who plays the violin with Columbia Civic Orchestra. They moved to Columbia a few months ago from St. Louis. For their weekly date night, they used to attend performances by the St. Louis Symphony.
"I love all types of music even though I don't play," Majumder said, "but I've never seen a cello played like that before."
Emily Holtzman, who worked at the cafe that evening, was surprised by the large turnout. The intimate nature of the performance drew many Columbia listeners.
"The name-your-own-price was intriguing, and this type of concert provides a better chance to talk to the artist," said Ben Colagiovanni, a senior at the University of Missouri and jazz pianist.
John and Ann Bell of Columbia don't play any instruments but came because of their love of music, the unusual setting and the rare opportunity to hear a solo cellist.
During the show, awe-struck 10-year-old Jude Lowry edged close to the stage but was too nervous to say anything more than "hello" to the performer.
Steuart Pincombe began playing the cello when he was 6, studying in Massachusetts under Boris Kogan, the former assistant principal cellist of the Leningrad Symphony.
Three years later, Steuart Pincombe's family moved to Springfield, but he continued playing and eventually graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music with degrees in both Baroque and contemporary music.
Oberlin Conservatory is also where Steuart and Michelle Pincombe met.
"I was in a practice room, and heard a beautiful voice during a break," Steuart Pincombe recalled. "I knocked on the door and there was my wife."
Although the interruption initially upset her, the two eventually became friends. They've been married six years now.
The idea for "Music in Familiar Spaces" came when Steuart Pincombe's solo career took him away from home too much. They began talking with their friends in the U.S., gauging interest in the idea of traveling around the nation. Friends offered their homes and gave venue ideas.
Credo Music, a summer music program at Oberlin where Steuart Pincombe has taught at for seven years, offered a matching grant in exchange for promotional concerts that Pincombe does a few times a month. The couple also keeps the profits from ticket sales, where attendees can give any amount.
Before selling their belongings and moving back to the U.S., Michelle Pincombe began a Kickstarter campaign that raised $8,000, which was used to purchase merchandise, a trailer and marketing efforts.
Although Michelle Pincombe is trained as a vocalist, she only performs about once a month. Her main job is managing the tour.
Steuart Pincombe said he wishes his wife got more credit for her work.
"Michelle makes the whole engine run for this tour," he said. "I'm just the face of it in some ways. She organizes everything and keeps me rolling."
Life on the road has been a challenge, Michelle Pincombe said. "Our dog, Lucy, has been the most well-adjusted out of the three of us," she said, laughing.
In between stops, the two park their trailer wherever they can. On the tour's first night, they stopped and slept in a Walmart parking lot. Currently, their mailing address is Michelle's parents' house in Massachusetts.
While it's hard to live in a small space and move from city to city every week, the Pincombes enjoy their new adventure.
"Even after 10 hours in the car together, we still feel like we're living this romantic journey," Steuart Pincombe said.
Next stop for the Pincombe's nationwide tour is Rogers, Arkansas. Then Stuart Pincombe will spend two weeks playing concerts in Europe before coming back to the U.S. to finish the tour.
When the year is over, the Pincombes aren't sure what's next. But that was the point, Steuart Pincombe stresses. He imagines that he'll teach at some point and settle down. For now, the couple only has ideas.
"I'm moved by music whenever I step into the sound world - whatever it is, whether concert hall or bar," Steuart Pincombe said.
Information from: Columbia Missourian, http://www.columbiamissourian.com