1865

Ferdinando Ronchini

(23 October 1865 — 1938)

Italian cellist and composer

Here is his “Mazurka” for cello and piano performed by cellist Valérie Aimard and pianist Cédric Lorel:

1893

Jean Absil

(23 October 1893 – 2 February 1974)

Belgian composer, organist, and professor

Photo by Blanchitout, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Here is his “Berceuse” performed by cellist Alexandre Debrus and pianist Gauvin de Morant:

1906

Miriam Gideon

(23 October 1906 – 18 June 1996)

American composer

Here is her “Fantasy on a Javanese Motive” (1948), recorded by cellist Seymour Barab and pianist William Masselos:

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1923

Ned Rorem

Happy birthday!

Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer and author

Here is the unaccompanied cello movement “Stone Snowballs” from his “Winter Pages,” performed by Carl-Oscar Østerlind:

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1949

Tristan Honsinger

Happy birthday

American cellist

Photo by Seth Tisue – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., CC BY-SA 2.0.

Here he performs “A Camel’s Kiss”:

 

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1955

Toshio Hosokawa

Happy birthday!

Japanese composer

Photo by VioWorld – Vioworld trifft… Toshio Hosokawa at 0:02, cropped, CC BY 3.0.

Here is his Sublimation for cello and orchestra (2016), performed by cellist Seungmin Kang and the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Stéphane Denève:

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1963

Lori Goldston

Happy birthday!

American cellist and composer

Photo © Kelly O.

Here she performs her own “Serenade”:

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1968

Patricio Villarejo

Happy birthday!

Argentine cellist, composer, conductor, arranger, and producer

Here he provides the beautiful voice of the angel in McLachlan’s song “Angel.” *Trigger Warning: For those unfamiliar with the movie City of Angels, there is a scene that might be disturbing as the angel jumps from a building.*

Your Turn

Know of other cellists, cello makers, composers of music played by cellists, or those with a strong tie to the cello world born on this day? This is a work in progress. We’d love to hear from you if you have suggestions, additions, or corrections. Thank you!

We include those with recordings and/or images available online.