Carol of the Bells Around the World
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Join today! Submission Deadline 15 November 2022
We invite cellists of all levels to join us in playing the Carol of the Bells to show your commitment to peace and your support for Ukraine.
Ukrainian cellist Vlad Primakov has arranged Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych’s 1914 piece, “Carol of the Bells,” based on the Ukrainian folk chant “Shchedryk” for three cellos and six cellos. There is also an unaccompanied version. The parts are free to download but are not intended for resale.
Like our Ukrainian National Anthem Cello Project, it is free to participate in this project, but we encourage you to make a donation to the charity of your choice in support of Ukraine. (Vlad has recommended a charity.)
Register for the project here.
Celebrate Black History Month in the UK
While we’ve been celebrating unaccompanied music by Black composers since February (Black History Month in the USA), we are excited to celebrate Black History Month in the UK with a special giveaway. Wherever you are in the world, please help us celebrate by entering our Black History Month Giveaway for a chance to win a Cello Museum T-shirt and a copy of Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s Song CD.
Click here and scroll down to enter for a chance to win. Good luck!
Online Concerts
22 October
Cello Quartet “Bravo Cello” with Tango Dancers 7:30 PM MDT
Bravo Cello presents an eclectic mix of music, plus some added spice! This Fall concert includes an Irish/Scottish set specifically arranged for the cello quartet, the popular Bohemian Rhapsody, and a Latin/Tango set with nationally acclaimed dancers Nick Jones and Fiona Foster.
23 October 3 PM EDT
Cellist Steven Isserlis and Pianist Connie Shih
Hahn: Variations Chantantes sur un air ancien
Fauré: Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 117
Adès: Lieux Retrouvés
Schumann: Adagio and Allegro Op. 70
Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 2 in F Major, Op. 99
Click here to purchase tickets and get more information.
24 October 8 PM EDT
Roche Guest Artists Series presents Schleuning-Pegis Duo
The second installment in the 2022-2023 Roche Guest Artists Series—the Schleuning-Pegis Duo for Violin & Cello—takes place on Monday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m. in Walker Recital Hall at Mercyhurst University. The program is free and open to the public, made possible by the generosity of the Terry and Margaret M. Roche Family.
Cellist Jolyon Pegis is from Rochester, New York. He attended Indiana University and the University of Hartford and his principal teachers include Alan Harris, Gary Hoffman, and David Wells. Pegis is a winner of the Artists International Awards in New York. He subsequently made his New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1990 and has since appeared as a recitalist and chamber musician across the country.
As a champion of new music, he has worked with composers such as Gunther Schuller, Lukas Foss, Eric Heckard, and Don Freund. A dedicated teacher, he has served on the faculty of the D’Angelo School of Music at Mercyhurst University, the Hartt School of Music, and Southern Methodist University.
Maria Schleuning, violinist, has been a member of the Voices of Change Modern Music Ensemble since 1996 and artistic director since 2009. An advocate of new music, she has worked with many leading composers, including Witold Lutoslawski, George Crumb, Aaron Jay Kernis, John Corigliano, Sam Adler, Sebastian Currier, Bright Sheng, Augusta Read Thomas, and Pierre Jalbert.
She has premiered many new works; among them, the world premiere of “Dream Catcher” (2009), a solo violin work written especially for her as a gift by Augusta Read Thomas, and “Partners” (2018), a double concerto by David Amram, written for her and cellist Jolyon Pegis.
The performance is also available via Livestream on the D’Angelo Department of Music YouTube.
31 October 1 PM BST
Wigmore Hall: Tim Mead, countertenor; Laurence Cummings, harpsichord; Jonathan Manson, cello: A. Scarlatti, Bononcini, Caldara, and Handel
Click here for more information.
1 November 7:30 PM EDT
92NY Presents Jamal Aliyev, Cello & Fazıl Say, Piano – Franck, Say, and More
- Program:
- Schubert, Sonata in A Minor, D. 821 “Arpeggione”
- Fazıl Say, Four Cities: Sonata for Cello and Piano
- Franck, Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major (arr. Delsart)
The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY), one of New York’s leading cultural venues, presents Jamal Aliyev, cello & Fazıl Say, piano, play Franck, Say, and more, on November 1, 2022 at 7:30pm ET in the Kaufmann Concert Hall.
Turkish cellist Jamal Aliyev makes his NYC mainstage debut with this duo concert with pianist Fazıl Say. Their program features the Franck Sonata for Violin and Piano in its cello arrangement, Schubert’s “Arpeggione” sonata, and the pianist’s own Four Cities sonata, which Say introduces as “a journey through four cities in Anatolia.” The work is rich with nods to Turkish folk music, with the cello evoking traditional Turkish instruments. It’s a reflection of Say’s ability to meld influences and create something thrillingly new.
The concert will be available for viewing online for 72 hours from the time of broadcast. Tickets start at $25 and are available here.
Online Programs and Events
22 October, 3 December 2022 | 6:00 PM–8:15 PM GMT
All About My Bow – Cellist Catherine Black
Our bow is our voice. We want it to breathe, speak, dance, sing and emote. This is an infinite subject but we do need to start somewhere! I feel we learn best with clear explanation, demonstration, focus and experimentation.
We will explore in varied ways, how our bow use can become increasingly natural to us – to become truly, an extension of your arm and hand. In going slowly and in detail, you will more truly find your own voice and feel able to express yourself more fully and authentically as a cellist & musician.
This series will build your understanding in stages. Some classes may be repeated too.
The instrument we play is large and physical and we need to know how to use energy well and understand movement because sound follows the movement.
I will send you materials for the class ahead of the day and then afterwards I will send documents that help you consolidate and develop our work. The groups will be small enough that we will be able to work individually too to check things are understood.
Venue: Zoom (waiting room opens at 5.45 PM for tuning)
Fee: £30 per class
25 October 2 PM EDT
Audition Workshop Series: Cello
The audition process is a strenuous and integral part of musicianship and success in the arts sector. This workshop series consists of 16 unique workshops tailored for different instruments. Led by seasoned NYO Canada faculty and adjudicators, programming will be customized based on the needs and temperament of the instrument, repertoire and participants. Specific attention will be given to the NYO Canada 2023 audition excerpts.
Workshops will begin on October 25th, 2022 through to December 2022, to ensure that musicians willing to audition for the 2023 NYO Program and other external programs absorb the knowledge and skills to apply in their practice immediately.
The purpose of these workshops is to support musicians looking to participate in music competitions, enrol in post-secondary music programs, earn a spot in the NYO Canada Orchestra or at other music programs even to win a spot in pre-professional & professional orchestras!
*Cet atelier sera offert en anglais avec sous-titres en français*
Register to participate in this free event here.
10 December
Online Timeline Series – Cellist Catherine Black
We all want to be as rounded a musician as possible and that’s a pretty big ask. We all have our preferences, and the groups & orchestras we play in, take us down certain paths which enrich and educate us, but sometimes we find a hole in our knowledge!
The Online Time Line Series has really found a place in your lives. Join us to learn more about a remarkable piece of music, its composer, an era, its style that may otherwise have passed you by. Musical architecture, polyphony, phrasing, the place of music in society are all a part of this quest for a better understanding and roundedness.
We will play, discuss & explore from your – the player’s point of view – a particular piece of music from the wide library of Unsung Heroes Cello Ensemble scores. These now range from Josquin and John Taverner (1490–1545), through to Tchaikovsky & Elgar and far into the twentieth century.
Though there are some restrictions online, we can all play using the mute button, though not as a group. This is an exciting opportunity for players to have the chance to play as many parts as they wish as we play together.
You may want to bring a notebook too and I do send out further notes to help you continue the development after the class. I see this as a massive opportunity for us to do detailed work that really moves you on, because we have these apparent restrictions.
Just a thought: you may think a particular composer, (say Josquin for instance) isn’t for you. Don’t rule things out too easily as all these people, whose music I want to share with you, have so much light to shine for us. As cellists, there is so much music we miss because we have so much already written for us. This is an opportunity that I personally have loved developing.
Your score is sent to you on booking your place and there are 15 places per class so we keep the lesson small, detailed and personal.
Do look at all the parts if you can, so you get under the skin of the music.
Venue: Zoom
Fee: £25 per class
1 January 2023 (Deadline)
Gustav Mahler Prize 2023 – Cello Competition (Online)
The Gustav Mahler Institute Prague, in cooperation with the Gustav Mahler Philharmonic Jihlava, invite cellists of all nationalities up to the age of 30 to compete for the Gustav Mahler Award 2023. The competition will take place online via YouTube recordings. Many prizes have been prepared for a total of EUR 10,000. Each competitor will receive an expert jury evaluation. Please read the rules of the competition on our website. It’s easy.
Click here for more information.
Ongoing
The Cello Guild Courses
Asynchronous Guild Classes
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The Cello Guild is offering four courses designed especially for adult cello students in a series taught by our very own Erica Lessie (of Postcards from Erica) called “Fret Not, Dear Cellist.”
These courses cover cello positions, and asynchronous classes are available now.
Trad Cello – Tunes and Techniques with Natalie Haas
Let Natalie Haas teach you some tricks of the trade as well as some great melodies!
Natalie is one of the most sought after cellists playing traditional music today. She and Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser have toured as a duo for twenty years, wowing audiences at festivals and concerts worldwide with their unique sound.
In this series she will teach some bowing techniques when accompanying melody players before moving on to chords and arranging, finishing with some melodies that sit well on the cello.
Although this series is aimed at the cellist, many of the skills and techniques will sit as comfortably on any string instrument.
Click here to learn about membership options.
Win a Year of Free Lessons!
Enter a drawing for a year of free lessons via video exchange with cellist Mike Block. Click here to enter.
Previous Events Still Available
Your Turn
In the comments below, let us know about your favorite online events and concerts. Have an event or concert you’d like listed? Please get in touch.
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