Here’s your weekly dose of cello news.
Cello News
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Black Lives in Music: Cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Xhosa Cole
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Yo-Yo Ma Residency at the University of Michigan
Yo-Yo Ma is starting a new residency (April – September) in a joint project between the University of Michigan Arts Initiative and the University Musical Society. Ma will work with six students and the following three artists to develop new maps portraying the university experience under a pandemic:
- Detroit-based interdisciplinary visual artist Nour Ballout
- Flint-based musician Tunde Olaniran
- Ann Arbor-based interdisciplinary artist Avery Williamson.
There is a free event at 6 PM EDT on 15 April. Register here to attend.
Click here to read the full story by Arrman Kyaw.
In Juneau, Alaska, Vaccination Clinics Double as a Live Music Venue
Live music lovers, rejoice — and roll up your sleeves. Volunteer musicians are performing live at the City and Borough of Juneau’s vaccine clinics.
This is a time of hope, with vaccinations becoming widely available in the USA, and musicians are helping us celebrate.
Last weekend, Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey performed all six Bach suites as people filed in for a second COVID-19 vaccine dose.
“This is an incredibly hopeful moment and chance to fuse the glorious sound of classical music,” Bailey said. “Music and the arts help people to celebrate life. This is the ultimate celebration.”
Other groups are performing as well. As Bailey was leaving, a student quartet arrived to perform.
Click here to read the full story by Dana Zigmund.
Interview with Reggae Cellist Cat Coore
Award-winning reggae cellist Cat Coore talks to DancehallMag about his career in this interview by Donovan Watkis.
Meet Cellist Aijee Evans, Street Performer in Philadelphia
Cellist Aijee Evans has been performing on the streets of Philadelphia since she was 14 years old. Follow her on Instagram to see where she’ll be playing next.
Click here for the news story by Amanda Brady, including a video.
Texas Cellos – Inspiring Students During the Pandemic
Cellist Joseph Kuipers noticed a trend with his cello students back in October. They were losing heart with the lack of in-person music-making during the pandemic. This inspired him to create the Texas Cellos, a nonprofit cello choir to help young cellists through music education and performance.
Kuipers said
“For me, the great lesson of the pandemic is that there is no substitute for a live performance.”
Kuipers plans to continue with the Texas cellos after the pandemic, and
offering multiple annual concerts and building an increasingly cohesive group of cellists driven by a love of music.
Click here to go to read the full article by Audrey Henvey.
A Lending Library of Musical Instruments – Patrons Can Check Out Cellos!
In Quinte West, Canada, the public library has partnered with the Stirling Musical Instrument Lending Library. This collection has over 300 instruments – including cellos! Locals can pay an annual membership fee of $30 to check out instruments for up to a whole year.
We hope this inspires other public library systems to obtain instrument lending libraries – especially if they include cellos.
Click here to read the full story by Mary Thomas.
Albums
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Cellist Ailbhe McDonagh and Pianist John O’Conor – Complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas
Release Date: 7 May. Preorder now.
The album was recorded at St. Peter’s Church in Drogheda, Ireland, in August 2020, and will be released on the Steinway & Sons label.
Clare O’Connell – The Isolated Cellist
A collection of new music for solo and looped cello gathered, arranged, curated, and performed during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.
Olenc – Particles
From the release notes:
Focusing on decomposition and the granulation of singular strings of cello, all tracks are conceptually constructed by zooming into the musical/sound matter. Particles gives a macro-microcosmic sonic journey, full of tensions, contrasts and fragility; it constantly crosses a thin line between songform and sound sculpture, experimenting with spatial imaging, spectral processing and time manipulation.
Terrible Hold Music Inspires New Cello and Synth Album
Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash
At the start of the pandemic, composer Justin Sherburn was placed on hold when he called the Texas Workforce Commission. The terrible music he had to endure inspired his collaboration with his wife, cellist Sara Nelson, to create the album Texas Workforce Hold Music. It features songs including
- “Leave a Message”
- “Not Busy Signal”
- “The Office is Closed”
Podcasts / Broadcasts
Yo-Yo Ma – A Beginner’s Mind
In the latest in Audible’s series, Words + Music, Yo-Yo Ma asks
each of us “to strip away preconceptions and reclaim a beginner’s mind…one open to new questions, new connections, new explorations, and unexpected answers.” As Ma tracks his own profound journey through “four stories of beginnings,” listeners gain insight into his past and discover how the cultural visionary continues to find hope in the endless possibility of human curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.
Click here to listen to some excerpts or click the image below to hear the Audible preview and get the complete audio program.
Soundcheck – Cellist Alisa Weilerstein Shares the Optimistic Wisdom of J.S. Bach
Alisa Weilerstein discusses what she finds to be the therapeutic and hopeful nature of Bach and her approach to the cello suites while making music at home.
Weilerstein talks about her pandemic project, “36 days of Bach,” in which she recorded one movement of the suites every day on her iPad.
Click here to see her Live with Carnegie Hall program.
Juneau Afternoon with – Interview with Zuill Bailey
Listen to this interview with Zuill Bailey and hear his discussion of re-recording the Bach Suites.
Click here to listen to the Rhonda McBride interview.
Sound Bites From the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra – Cellist Benjamin Hughes
Finding the new in the old: BBC Concert Orchestra’s Principal Cellist, Benjamin Hughes, stops by to speak about how he fell in love with the cello, Bach’s second cello suite, and the many ways building a relationship with history and his practice deepens his love of music every day.
The Art of HumAnnity with Jessica Ann – Ep 05: Concert cellist Gjilberta Lucaj on Music and Inspiration
The Art of Humanity is a weekly 30-minute podcast that explores creativity and consciousness with artists, leaders, authors, and entrepreneurs. Welcome to Episode 5 of the Art of Humanity.
Episode 5: Concert cellist Gjilberta Lucaj In this interview, Gjilberta and I discuss: The private “aha!” moments that happen during practice The best advice she can give to other artists who are pursuing a professional career in music How being an only child motivates success Her path with “making it” in NYC, the melting pot of art The “secret language” of music and live performances If you’re enjoying this podcast, please subscribe on iTunes and leave a review!
Click here to listen to the podcast. Scroll down to Episode 5.
Underscore with Doyle Dean – Ottawa Cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne Digs Deeper During Isolation
The North Country is rich in musical talent but with venues closed and concerts virtual until the pandemic is over, it’s even harder for musicians to get their work to an audience. So last year NCPR began featuring music by regional artists during our news programs. One cellist in Ottawa embraced the chance to dig a little deeper during the pandemic, redefining himself during isolation. Doyle Dean spoke with Raphael Weinroth-Browne in April of 2020 as part of our Underscore project.
Click here to listen to the podcast with Doyle Dean.
Videos
Stijn Kuppens – Tak (Live Performance)
Learn more about cellist-composer Stijn Kuppens here.
Gabe Baker – Upside Down
Enjoy!
Miles Milou – A Night Out (featuring Charlie Chaplin)
Electric cellist Miles Milou performs his own soundtrack to Charlie Chaplin’s A Night Out (1915).
MET Orchestra Cellos – Lohengrin
The Happy Fits – Sailing
Cellist Barbara Hedlund Reads The Voice of the Wood by Claude and Frédéric Clément
New Compositions for Cello, Piano, and Percussion, by Student Composers
The pieces you will hear in the video below are by the 2020 and 2021 winners of the Jack Stone Award for New Music. This is a national music competition open only to community college students. The pieces are performed by Tetractys New Music (Peir Shiuan Tang, piano, Matthew Armbruster, cello, Christopher Demetriou, percussion).
Read more about the competition, the winners, and their pieces in the original article by Nathan Cone.
- 2020 JACK STONE AWARD for NEW MUSIC: Tim Naples, North Idaho College: “XP (in Four Mvts)”
- First Runner Up: Samina Yaghouti, Los Angeles Community College District: “Just a Collision”
- Second Runner Up: Kurtis Roush, Peninsula College: “Train Ride Memories”
- 2021 JACK STONE AWARD for NEW MUSIC: Kailey Martinelli, North Idaho College: “Return”
- First Runner Up: Tristan Scott, Dallas College Richland Campus: “Rhythm Song”
- Second Runner Up: Zander Furrow, Lane Community College: “Cave of Hollows: A Soul’s Journey”
Your Turn
Have cello news you’d like included? Please get in touch.
