Tim Janof, Author at CelloBello

About Tim Janof

Tim Janof was Editor for the Internet Cello Society for over twelve years, where over 100 of his articles and in-depth interviews of world-renowned cellists were published. He is the past President of the Seattle Violoncello Society and a former cello instructor at Music Center of the Northwest. He has had articles published in American String Teacher and Strad magazines and was featured in Strings Magazine. He was a featured speaker at the American String Teacher Association’s 2015 National Conference, University of Iowa’s Cello Daze, and Central Washington University’s Cello Celebration. Ovation Press has published several of his cello compositions, including Rondo in Blue (for cello and piano) and V&T Blues (for flute and cello). His cello teachers include Toby Saks, Eva Heinitz, and Cordelia Wikarski-Miedel.

Conversation with Frans Helmerson (May, 2001)

Interview by Tim Janof Swedish cellist Frans Helmerson studied with Guido Vecchi in Göteborg, Guiseppe Selmi in Rome, and William Pleeth in London. Other important musical influences came through contact with conductor Sergiu Celibidache, with whom he worked as principal cellist in the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in the early 1970's, as well as significant guidance and support from Rostropovich. Frans Helmerson has performed with many of today's finest conductors and orchestras, touring throughout Europe, the USA, South America, Asia, and Australia since the late 1970's. His love for chamber music led him to take the position of Artistic Director of the Korsholm Chamber Music Festival in Finland as well as appearing at many other renowned festivals. Since 1992 Frans Helmerson has held a Professorship at the Musikhochschüle [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-03-10T14:56:11-04:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: William Pleeth, Frans Helmerson, Vecchi, Rostropovich, Truls Mork, Tim Janoff, barenboim, dupre, Internet Cello Society, ICS|

Conversation with Gary Hoffman (September, 1999)

Interview by Tim Janof American cellist Gary Hoffman was born in Vancouver, Canada, in 1956. At 15 he made his London recital debut in Wigmore Hall; his New York recital debut occurred in 1979. At the age of 22 he became the youngest faculty appointee in the history of Indiana University School of Music, where he remained for eight years. Mr. Hoffman, who is frequently invited to hold master classes, has coached cellists at numerous institutions and festivals, including Aspen, the Gregor Piatigorsky Seminar at the University of Southern California, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the Casals Festival in Prades, the Eastman School of Music, Schleswig-Holstein, Verbier, Ravinia, etc. He achieved international renown following his victory at the Rostropovich International Competition in Paris in 1986. He has appeared as soloist [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-03-10T14:56:58-04:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: Starker, Dvorak, Baroque, Tim Janoff, Bach, Internet Cello Society, expression, Concerto, ICS, Janos Starker, Gary Hoffman, performance, Lalo, Technique|

Conversation with Hans Jorgen Jensen (April, 2006)

Interview by Tim Janof Hans Jørgen Jensen is currently Professor of Cello at Northwestern University and a faculty member of both Meadowmount School of Music and The National Arts Center's Young Artist Program. Mr. Jensen received a Soloist Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in Denmark as a student of Asger Lund Christiansen and studied with Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins at the Juilliard School. In addition, he studied with Pierre Fournier in Geneva, Switzerland. At Juilliard he studied chamber music with Robert Mann and Earl Carlyss. From 1979 to 1987 he was Professor of Cello at the School of Music at the University of Houston. He has been a guest professor at the School of Music at the University of Southern California, the Tokyo College of Music, and [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-03-10T14:57:41-04:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: Beethoven, Hans Jorgen Jensen, bow, CelloMind, vibrato, Christiansen, Northwestern, tennis ball, competitions, adapting, height, Internet Cello Society, hand size, Pedagogy, ICS, Bach, Hans Jensen|

Conversation with Aldo Parisot (May, 2001)

Interview by Tim Janof Long acknowledged as one of the world's master cellists, Aldo Parisot has led the career of a complete artist —as concert soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, and teacher. He has been heard with the major orchestras of the world, including Berlin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Rio, Munich, Warsaw, Chicago, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, etc. under the batons of such eminent conductors as Stokowski, Barbirolli, Bernstein, Mehta, Monteux, Paray, Carvalho, Sawallisch, Hindemith, and Villa-Lobos. As an artist seeking to expand his instrument's repertoire, Mr. Parisot has premiered numerous works for the cello, written especially for him by such composers as Carmago Guarnieri, Quincy Porter, Alvin Etler, Claudio Santoro, Joan Panetti, Yehudi Wyner, and Villa-Lobos, whose Cello Concerto No. 2 (written for and dedicated to him) was premiered by Mr. [...]

By Tim Janof|2023-03-13T23:04:01-04:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: Brazil, interview, Hindemith, premiere, Barber, Tim Janoff, Internet Cello Society, ICS, Starker, Parisot, cello ensemble, Aldo, Feuermann, Yale, Boston Symphony Orchestra|

Master Class Report: János Starker 2/29/01

Benaroya Hall, Seattle, USA, 2/29/01 The following are my notes from the master class Janos Starker gave in Seattle. 10 minutes before the class was to start, Seattle experienced a 6.8 earthquake. Apparently, Janos Starker was calm as can be backstage when it happened. The class ended up starting only 1/2 hour late. —by Tim Janoff Left Hand Anticipated Shift -- Slide before the bow change and land on the note at the bow change. Delayed Shift -- Slide after the bow change. Thumb Placement in Thumb Position -- A hitchhiking thumb allows more overtones, but it is harder to play in tune. Placing the thumb on the neighboring string is more solid, but it allows fewer overtones. The technique of the future is to place the thumb beneath the [...]

By Tim Janof|2021-11-15T13:29:47-05:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Janos Starker, Self Discovery|Tags: Pedagogy, bow, Janos Starker, ICS, Technique, Philosophy, Starker, Masterclass, left hand, Internet Cello Society|

Conversation with Paul Katz (October, 2005)

Interview by Tim Janof Paul Katz is known to concertgoers the world over as cellist of the Cleveland Quartet, which during an international career of 26 years, made more than 2,500 appearances on four continents. As a member of the celebrated ensemble from 1969-1995, Katz performed at the White House and on many television shows, including "CBS Sunday Morning," NBC's "Today Show," "The Grammy Awards" (the first classical musicians to appear on that show,) and in "In The Mainstream: The Cleveland Quartet," a one hour documentary televised across the U.S. and Canada. In collaboration with the country's largest PBS station, WGBH Boston, and the New England Conservatory of Music, Katz has recently embarked on an extensive DVD/Website project on cello pedagogy, an endeavor that will occupy much of his next [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-08-03T09:05:46-04:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: New England Conservatory, Internet Cello Society, string quartet, Cleveland Quartet, ICS, Greenhouse, Schoenfeld, chamber music, Victor Sazer, Starker, Primrose, Heifetz, USC, Piatigorsky, Casals, Lesser, Paul Katz, Tim Janoff, Gabor Rejto|

Conversation with Mstislav Rostropovich (April, 2006)

Interview by Tim Janof Mstislav Rostropovich is internationally acclaimed and acknowledged as one of the world's greatest living cellists. He has given countless memorable performances and has inspired the world's leading composers to enlarge and enrich the standard cello repertoire with works specially composed for and dedicated to him. These include works by Britten, Bliss, Khachaturian, Lutoslawski, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Rostropovich was soloist in the premieres of Prokofiev's second Cello Concerto in 1952, Shostakovich's two Cello Concertos in 1959 and 1966, Britten's Cello Symphony in 1964 and Bliss's Cello Concerto in 1970. Many other works have been written for him and today his repertoire includes more than 50 concertos, ranging from the baroque, through the classical and romantic periods, to the avant-garde. As a cellist, Rostropovich is noted for his [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-03-10T15:00:24-04:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: Rostropovich, Mstislav Rostropovich, Internet Cello Society, ICS, Mstislav|

Conversation with János Starker (June, 1996)

Interview by Tim Janof János Starker is known throughout the world as a soloist, recording artist, and teacher. Born in Budapest in 1924, Janos Starker came to the United States in 1948, where he subsequently held the principal cellist chair in three American orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner. Starker then resumed his international performing career in 1958. Since then he has performed thousands of concerts with orchestras and in recitals throughout the world. When not touring, János Starker holds the title of Distinguished Professor at Indiana University in Bloomington, where his classes have attracted talented string players from around the world. TJ: Is there such a thing as a student with no talent for an instrument? JS: I wouldn't say that a person has no talent, [...]

By Tim Janof|2022-01-17T11:12:43-05:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: Concerto, Leonard Rose, ICS, Janos Starker, Rubinstein, repertoire, golden era, talent, National Cello Congress, recordings, musicality, Tim Janoff, dupre, Interpretation, Internet Cello Society|

Conversation with János Starker (February, 2004)

Interview by Tim Janof "With his peerless technical mastery and intensely expressive playing, Janos Starker is universally recognized as one of the worlds supreme musicians." (New York Times) János Starker was born in Budapest in 1924 and began studying the cello at the age of six. By the age of eight he was coaching his first pupil, and by eleven he was performing in public. His early career took him through Budapest's Franz Liszt Academy, and on to positions of first cellist with the Budapest Opera and Philharmonic at the end of World War Two. In 1948 he emigrated to the United States where he subsequently held the posts of principal cellist with the Dallas Symphony, Metropolitan Opera of New York, and the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner. In 1956 [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-03-10T15:02:17-04:00August 5th, 2019|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: articulation, Starker, soloist, Hungary, Tim Janoff, Concerto, Internet Cello Society, Leonard Rose, Janos Starker, ICS, repertoire, internment camp, Greenhouse, controversy|

A Conversation with George Neikrug

In honor and in memory of George Neikrug we are pleased to share with you the following interview by Tim Janof. ______________________________________________________ Tim Janof: You studied with Diran Alexanian for a year. What was he like as a teacher? George Neikrug: He was brilliant, musically speaking. He particularly stressed the harmonies of pieces we worked on. No matter what was being played, he would accompany me on his cello, playing all the correct harmonies and explaining how the tension and relaxation influenced the interpretation of the music. When it came to technique, however, he got me into such trouble that, even though he had given me a personal scholarship, I left him without a word. I had played a recital after studying with him for a year and my friends [...]

By Tim Janof|2020-03-10T15:07:22-04:00March 24th, 2019|Categories: News|Tags: Emanuel Feuermann, George Neikrug, Boston University|

Conversation with Bernard Greenhouse

Reprinted from Internet Cello Society 11/28/98 By Tim Janof: TJ: You studied with Felix Salmond who also taught Leonard Rose. BG: When I was 18, I had to choose between entering a pre-med program or trying out for Juilliard. I chose to try for a Juilliard fellowship, which I was awarded, and I began to study with Felix Salmond. He was sort of a funnel for talent from all over the United States, since there weren't many cellists at the time. There were only eight cellists at Juilliard, as well as at Curtis, and each one was a very gifted player. TJ: Did you attend school with Leonard Rose? BG: No, he was at Curtis, in Philadelphia, though we were quite aware of each other because of our common teacher. I remember going [...]

By Tim Janof|2021-07-26T15:08:04-04:00August 11th, 2016|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Bernard Greenhouse, Interpersonal Relationships, Interviews, Pablo Casals, Teaching|Tags: CelloBlog, cello interview, Pablo Casals, Emanuel Feuermann, Bernard Greenhouse, Felix Salmond, Leonard Rose, cellobello|

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