Here’s your weekly dose of cello news.
Cello News
A Cello Teacher Brings Joy to her Neighborhood through the Pandemic with a Teddy Bear
Cello teacher Kathy Savit has posed her teddy bear, called Little Bear, outside her home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, throughout the pandemic, bringing joy to passersby.
Although as far as we know he has not yet posed with a cello, he has appeared in daily scenes under the maple tree along the sidewalk in front of her home.
Click here to go to read the full story by Ryan Stanton.
Music in Notre Dame for the First Time Since the 2019 Fire
Wearing hard hats and boiler suits, the Notre Dame choir directed by Henri Chalet with soprano Julie Fuchs, cellist Gautier Capuçon, and organist Yves Castagnet playing a rented organ, recorded a performance for a Christmas broadcast.
This was the first time live choral music was heard in the cathedral since the fire on 15 April 2019.
Gautier Capuçon described the experience as “very moving.”
Watch and listen to the program here:
Click here to read more and see Gautier Capuçon and choir members in hard hats.
Cellist Carol Thorns Performs in a Bubble
Have you ever performed in a bubble? Cellist Carol Thorn performed for holiday shoppers on 23 December.
Pandemic friendly
Cellist in a bubble performing for shoppers
Carol thorns pic.twitter.com/O3wbuTk874— Ling Hottentot Dior (@LingDeeYoh) December 23, 2020
A Collaboration Between the Musicians and a Healthcare Facility Provides Comfort During the Pandemic
LA cellist Coleman Itzkoff from the American Modern Opera Company performs for cancer and Covid-19 patients one-on-one via the internet. The American Modern Opera Company partnered with the Cedars-Sinai Spiritual Care Department to bring virtual concerts to patients during the pandemic.
This project is funded by the Vital Sounds Initiative from the nonprofit: Project Music Heals Us. They provide grants to pay musicians hit by the pandemic, allowing them to continue getting paid to perform and providing comfort for patients.
Music Meets Medicine – A Study in Houston
In Houston, assistant professor of music-in-medicine, Dr. Mei Rui, is working with Houston Symphony musicians as part of a study about how different kinds of classical music affect medical recovery. Almost 400 patients have heard live performances on an iPad during this study.
Here cellist Brinton Averil Smith performs for a patient as part of this program:
Dr. Mei Rui sets up the iPad for cellist Brinton Averil Smith to play a virtual performance for patient Ron Friedel at Houston Methodist.
Click here to read the entire story by Michael Hardy.
R.I.P. Jim Eaton, the Last of the Cowboy Cellists
James Leroy “Jim” Eaton
Cellist, music educator, and music industry leader, James Leroy “Jim” Eaton has passed. He was interested in music, cars, old westerns, knives, guns, photography, and all things British. He wanted to be remembered as “The Last of the Cowboy Cellists.”
Click here to read his full obituary.
Cellist Hannah Holman Starts New School of Music
Hannah Holman started a new music school online in September and recently obtained a 15-year lease on a Quad City historic building, the Deanery at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Davenport, Iowa.
The new school is the Deanery School of Music.
Click here to read the full story by Jonathan Turner.
Congratulations to Winners of the Mount Vernon Virtuosi Online Cello Competition
Congratulations to first-place winner Jorge Giménez, a junior at the Peabody Institute; second-place winner Natalia Vilchis, a second-year master’s student at the Peabody Institute; and Mafalda Santos, a senior at the Peabody Institute!
The Mount Vernon Virtuosi Online Cello Competition, started by Peabody Professor Amit Peled, is for students in Maryland.
Video
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony Arranged for 25 Cellos
Enjoy this video of the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony arranged for cello ensemble by Sungmin Ahn and performed at the last concert of the 2020 Brussels Cello Festival.
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