Here's Part II of the Magazine staff's review of young Pittsburghers 30 and under to watch in 2009 in the fields of dance, music, dining, theater and event planning. (Read Part 1 here.)

This could be a breakout year for Cellofourte. The rock/classical all-cello quartet is becoming a known quantity in town, but 2009 will see a systematic unveiling of the four classically trained cellists turned pop musicians: twenty-somethings Nicole Myers, Simon Cummings, Ben Munoz and Tate Olsen.

Cellofourte has been putting in its dues at small clubs, private parties, gala events and outdoor shows for a few years now, and it is paying off locally, but Pennsylvania Performing Artists on Tour has put Cellofourte on its roster, taking the Carnegie Mellon- and Duquesne-trained cellists across the state.

"This is also a nice bit of accreditation for us, as some of the other performers on the roster include the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Time for Three, Chatham Baroque -- you get the picture," says Cellofourte's Olsen. "Being placed in the company of these great artists is truly awesome."

Likewise, Gateway to the Arts has chosen the group to be one of its roster artists this year, performing in schools throughout Allegheny County. "We had been doing a good number of school shows on our own, but GTA has the infrastructure and connections in place to really help our music reach so many more students than would have been possible on our own," says Olsen.

Suffice it to say that the coming year is crucial to the long-term success of Cellofourte. PennPAT can really launch a group -- witness Imani Winds -- so that big national break may be not too far off.

-- Andrew Druckenbrod,
Post-Gazette classical music critic

Maddie Georgi, 16, finished second, but she's still a winner: The Hampton High teen survived numerous cuts from the original 60,000 entries in the Country Music Television's Music City Madness online national contest to find the best unsigned country act.

Maddie's video of her singing her original song, "Gone Away Again," was seen by tens of thousands of people during elimination rounds before she fell to Kurt Thomas of Georgia in the finale. Another of Georgi's songs, "Take My Hand," inspired by her autistic brother, Jake, was a winner in the local Kean Idol contest and has been used to raise money for the Autism Center of Pittsburgh.

The young singer has been an opening act for artists such as Enuff's Enuff, Billy Price, Van Hunt, Brooke Waggoner and Bill Deasy, and has performed at events and venues small and large all over the region, including Club Cafe, the Hard Rock Cafe, Heinz Field, Syria Shrine Center and PNC Park.

You may have heard Maddie's rendition of the national anthem before a Pirates' game at PNC Park and other sporting events around town or seen her as a host of the Steelers' "Kidzone" show on WPCW. She's now hosting a monthly under-21 open stage at Borders in the Shoppes at Northway in Ross, 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month.

Next up: Her first CD, with producer Rob Deaner and Market Street Sound.

-- Sharon Eberson,
Post-Gazette staff writer

When Sean Gray agreed to help a friend's mother move from a three-story home into a loft, he didn't realize it would be the beginning of a career. Mr. Gray, 30, of Squirrel Hill, helped facilitate the move, he says, "by compressing the belongings into a more streamlined lifestyle."

And that is exactly where his career has taken him. He refers to himself as "a lifestylist." He's organized everything from birthday celebrations, dinner parties, homes and wardrobes to black tie events.

"I de-stress," he said. "I create an atmosphere where design and inspiration can happen, so an event can take place or a closet can be organized. I'm a doer. I make it happen."

As 2004 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a major in sociology, Mr. Gray was unsure of what he wanted to do. In the summer of 2006, he began to do event planning for local organizations like the Pittsburgh Aids Task Force. He soon was asked to help plan the 2006 Best Friends Ball benefiting the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society.

As his reputation grew as an event planner, his assistance with managing friends' wardrobes and homes began to make Mr. Gray realize his talents were more versatile so he began his own outfit, Sean Gray International.

He does not want to specialize his business for fear of losing his sense of innovation. He would rather focus on meeting the needs of others. "I believe the less specialized my business is, the more special it is."

-- Kara Voorhees,
Post-Gazette staff writer

Given that so many small businesses fail within a few years of opening, it's impressive that Affogato, the funky, anti-Starbucks coffee bar that made its debut in 2003 on Lincoln Avenue in Bellevue, still percolates with customers.

Its success is even sweeter when you consider that Victoria Green was just 22 when she bought the business in April 2006, has no formal business schooling and isn't even a local well-attuned to the caffeine habits of Pittsburghers. (She grew up in Washington, D.C.)

No matter. As many as 100 regulars stop by each day to enjoy a latte, chai tea, homemade soup or quick panini, making the shop one of the town's most buzzed-about haunts. And they're not just the 20-something hipsters -- her customers are all ages and include a number from outside Bellevue. So what's her secret?

"Madness," jokes Ms. Green, 25.

Her achievement speaks volumes about her ability to think creatively and be flexible in a changing market. To draw customers after traditional coffee-drinking hours, Affogato offers free live music Friday nights and BYOB on Saturday nights (Bellevue is dry). She also initiated a wildly successful pancake bar on Sunday and last summer started enjoybellevue.com, an events blog aimed at educating visitors about the town's many charms.

"You think it's all about having a business plan, but it's more about being able to adapt," she said. That, and being willing to listen to your customers and give them what they like.

"We're sort of like the local bar, except without the alcohol," said Ms. Green, who claims to know the names and preferred drinks of 70 percent of the people who walk through Affogato's doors. "Addictive."

-- Gretchen McKay,
Post-Gazette staff writer

Daina Michelle Griffith has been an emerging star and familiar face on the Pittsburgh theater scene for years.

After graduating from Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts in 2003, she performed in a variety of Pittsburgh shows, including a turn as a delicious and comic showgirl in the 2004 musical "Broadway" at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, said Post-Gazette critic Christopher Rawson in his review.

Like many young actors, Griffith headed off to New York City after a time but moved back to Pittsburgh in November 2007.

"I had booked a couple of jobs here and thought I might as well go where the work is, and I love Pittsburgh," said Griffith, 29, of Squirrel Hill.

The Cincinnati-area native never quite fell into the hustle-and-bustle rhythm of New York City and has enjoyed her return to the 'Burgh. "I'm pretty happy where I am," she says.

Rawson lauded the breadth of her performance, "ranging from sexual provocateur to victim," as Constanze, Mozart's wife, in "Amadeus," last winter at the Public. He also praised hers as one of the most memorable supporting actress performances of the season.

Griffith is in rehearsals for "Metamorphoses," which opens Jan. 16 at the Public. In addition to acting, she also teaches musical theater at the CLO Academy.

After "Metamorphoses," she's in City Theatre's production of Eric Simonson's "Speak American," a Pittsburgh-based play about a woman teaching English to immigrant millworkers.

"Right now, I'm really satisfied," she said. "I've been super lucky since I've been back."

-- By L.A. Johnson,
Post-Gazette staff writer

Maria Caruso was told as a young girl that her petite but curvy body would prohibit her dancing success. By the time she was 20, she had decided the dance world needed a company "where all the dancers didn't look the same."

The Armstrong County native founded the Bodiography Contemporary Ballet in October 2000 in New York City. She moved the company to Pittsburgh in 2002.

Bodiography encourages "aesthetics of the technique, rather than the aesthetics of the body," says Ms. Caruso, 28, of Forest Hills, who also serves as the company's choreographer and artistic director. Pulling it altogether is the choreography that "allows artists of different sizes and shapes to be on stage at the same time producing something beautiful."

A precocious child, Ms. Caruso graduated from high school at age 16 already with a year of college credits under her belt. She then headed to Florida State University where she received a bachelor of fine arts, specializing in performing arts and dance.

When she established her studio in Squirrel Hillo, she added the Bodiography Center for Movement, a college preparatory dance program. Education is a major focus of the company.

The company's six full-time members, two trainees from the college prep program and three apprentices hold two major local shows a year, where the audience is growing 3 to 6 percent per concert, she says.

"What I'm trying to do as a young artist is I want to focus on the appeal of rock music, which is helping to lure the youth to come and visit our performances."

The company also has toured nationally and plans some regional performances this year for the first time. Eventually she hopes to tour internationally.

Her company also has attracted members to Pittsburgh.

"I'm investing in the community. I'm bringing young people back here," she says. "Three of the dancers got married and are making Pittsburgh their home."

-- By Kara Voorhees,
Post-Gazette staff writer