Martha Baldwin, Author at CelloBello

About Martha Baldwin

Martha Baldwin is a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Martha was appointed to the cello section of The Cleveland Orchestra by Christoph von Dohnanyi in 2001. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Rice University as a student of Desmond Hoebig and her Master’s from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Stephen Geber. Martha has been a prize winner at a number of competitions including the Corpus Christi International competition, the Canadian Music Competition, the CIBC National Music Festival, and was the National Gold Medalist for Strings in the Royal Conservatory ARCT exams. She has been broadcast in recital nationally on both NPR and CBC radio. An active chamber musician, she frequently performs with fellow Cleveland Orchestra musicians across the United States. Martha has appeared as soloist with orchestras in both the United States and Canada including the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Columbia Symphony, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra. Martha is on the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and serves as Artist in Residence at the University of Akron.

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What if We All Did That? — by Martha Baldwin

OK, not to blog-rant (is that a thing?) but I’m often surprised by basic behaviors I see in music students (and professionals) and it reminds me of a saying we have in our cello section: “What if we all did that?” Here are my top 3: 1. STAY!!!!!! seriously, just stay to the end people. I realize that many student recitals seem endless but leaving as soon as you’re done playing is, simply put, rude. I’ve seen entire rows of extended family get up and leave noisily after the first performer (their kid) is finished and I’m shocked. Really? No one else matters? Your child is so special that this entire recital is there just for his/her 4 minutes of glory? People notice these things. As a side benefit - [...]

By Martha Baldwin|2021-05-03T15:44:33-04:00March 9th, 2015|Categories: Artistic Vision, Auditions, Chamber Music, Competition, Orchestra, Performance, Playing Healthy|Tags: effort, Cleveland Orchestra, CelloBlog, Martha Baldwin, restless, cellobello|

“But I Don’t Want To!”: How to Get Yourself (or Your Kid) to Practice… — by Martha Baldwin

One of the most frequent problems my students ask me about is how to get inspired to practice. Old, young, serious and casual cellists alike come to me in frustration: “But I just can’t find the inspiration to practice right now/ever/this month/today etc. etc.” Parents ask even more often how to get their child to practice without a battle. Here’s the thing—there’s a hard truth about being a cellist, about the practicing it takes. It’s not always fun. It’s hard to get started. You don’t feel inspired to practice all the time. Don’t feel bad—you know that student next to you in the practice room who’s there every day without fail? He’s not more inspired than you, you’re not missing the I-Love-To-Practice gene. Parents—you know that mom who says “I [...]

By Martha Baldwin|2017-10-24T04:04:38-04:00March 3rd, 2014|Categories: In the Practice Room, Self Discovery, Teaching|Tags: daily routine, practicing, feel like practicing, how to get yourself to practice, Habits, inspiration to practice, cellist, rehearsal, inspiration, problems, schedule, cello, routine, truth, cellobello, Baldwin, structure, Practice Room, discipline, appointment, Martha|

Orchestra: A Love Story — by Martha Baldwin

Solo playing, chamber music, orchestra, teaching—I loved them all in college but at some point, we all must start to narrow our focus and work to establish a career that is dominated by one or two of these. I think the most often over-looked aspect of choosing what direction to take your musical talents (insert LeBron goes to Miami joke here), is thoughtful consideration of the daily life. Happiness in life and career is so often not determined by money or status but by how closely our lives conform to our personal ideals and individual quirks. Young cellists often ask me “Why did you choose to play in an orchestra?” This is my answer. I’m a planner. I am happiest with a stable structured day with a decent amount of routine [...]

By Martha Baldwin|2017-10-03T02:47:39-04:00January 27th, 2013|Categories: Orchestra, Self Discovery|Tags: direction, cellobello, soloist, concerts, establish a career, stability, colleagues, family time, orchestra, status, chamber music, lifestyle, Travel, working full time, personal ideas, mom-friendly schedule, routine, money, challenges, Baldwin, musical talents, focus, happiness, inspiration, orchestral jobs, Martha, choices, Teaching, predictability, rehearsals, Cleveland Institute of Music, variety, short attention span, concert halls, Cleveland Orchestra, cello, social outlets, Touring|

It’s Time to Start [NOT] Practicing — by Martha Baldwin

It’s September, the school year has begun, and the concert season is looming large. This time of year is the New Year’s Eve of the academic and music world—a time for resolutions and new beginnings. For cellists everywhere these resolutions often focus around practicing—namely doing more of it. For myself, I somehow already feel behind and the temptation to try to cram as much work in as possible, especially on my “day off” from the orchestra is strong (well, to be honest there are other days when the temptation to sit on the couch is stronger). But this year my resolution is two-fold. Yes, I want to prepare upcoming repertoire earlier than ever this year but before I come up with a plan for that, I’m going to be planning [...]

By Martha Baldwin|2017-09-15T02:54:54-04:00September 29th, 2011|Categories: Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: school, orchestra, routine, Preparation, self-improvement, Baldwin, energy, Injuries, Martha, relaxing, practicing, taking time off, repertoire, improvement, Rest, cello, cellobello|

The Injured Cellist — by Martha Baldwin

Like most of us cellists out there I can barely remember my life before my cello was a daily part of it. Sometimes it is the happiest, most ultimately satisfying part of my day, sometimes the most frustrating. Being a cellist is my life’s work, one that defines me utterly. While other aspects of life are undoubtedly more important (friends, family, health, happiness), what we do is a big part of making up who we are. Not doing it anymore is an exercise in redefining who you are. For nearly 18 months during the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 seasons I couldn’t play the cello. A pretty common rotator cuff injury resulted in surgery, rehab, and a long period of complications and set backs. I won’t go into all the medical details, [...]

By Martha Baldwin|2017-10-30T05:23:30-04:00June 6th, 2011|Categories: Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: Rest, maintenance, cello, Baldwin, cellobello, happiness, Travel, Injuries, pain, musicians, relaxing, Martha, taking time off, performances, health|