From Improvising in Caves to Spoken in Waves
Spoken in Waves is a new piece for cello and string quartet by Chris Beroes-Haigis, commissioned by cellist Cicely Parnas. The video performance was premiered in December of 2023. In this blog post, Cicely and Chris tell us a bit about the backstory of the piece, the journey to recording the piece, what it's like to perform the piece and more. The video performance can be found below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML40XGq2qI4 In 2019, I was on tour with my cello rock band and found myself in El Paso, TX, the city where my good friend Chris Beroes-Haigis lived. We had met two years earlier as fellows at the Sitka International Cello Seminar in Alaska, and I remember I was struck both by Chris’s beautiful music-making on the cello, and that [...]
Interview with Tiffany Poon, Founder of Together with Classical
CelloBello is very excited to begin a new partnership with Together with Classical, an organization that strives to empower people of diverse musical backgrounds to learn and share their experiences with classical music, through online community engagement, grant-giving, interviews and educational videos. Today we begin with CelloBello founder Paul Katz interviewing the founder of Together with Classical, pianist Tiffany Poon. Be sure to check out the Together with Classical Blog for Tiffany's interview of Paul Katz! PK: Tiffany is the founder of Together with Classical. She's a pianist with a concert career. She's done a lot of playing with cellists, particularly with Jan Vogler but also Guy Johnston and Harriet Krijgh. So, welcome to CelloBello! Let's start by you telling us a little bit about yourself: where were you [...]
Playing the Cello: The Best Icebreaker
Reprinted with permission from Interlude. You’ve probably heard the cello on numerous occasions either because you love its deep baritone sounds or because the cello is used whenever someone dies in a movie. The cello—its vibrant sounds so close to the human voice—is the perfect instrument to portray a melancholy or heartfelt or gripping mood. What if I told you the cello is the best icebreaker too? Wilhelm Kaiser: Lindemann Mambo for Six Cellos https://youtu.be/_V4STcRqSjY We cellists never get used to the endless quips, (Don’t’cha wish you played the flute?) and the original jibes (that’s bigger than you are!) Large trunk for cellos Traveling with a cello is never without issues. When you’re a member of an orchestra and you go on tour, large trunks—coffins we [...]
Cellos and Cellists Star IN the Movies
Reprinted with permission from Interlude. Hepburn and cello When I mention that I play the cello, people say, “The cello is my favorite instrument.” Hollywood has picked up on that sentiment. No longer merely the provider of soulful background music, although it is not yet an Oscar category, the cello or cellists play leading roles in several movies. Gauche the Cellist, a 1934 short story by Japan’s Miyazawa Kenji, features an unexceptional professional cellist who is scorned by the conductor of the town’s orchestra. Goshu is criticized for not understanding the emotions of the music and when Goshu returns to his isolated cottage in the forest to practice, animals such as the cuckoo, the cat, the mouse and the badger teach Goshu the deep meaning of music. Several [...]
Conversation with Apocalyptica (August, 2001)
Interview by Michele Klau & Rejscheck The idea was as simple as successful: to play heavy metal music on classical instruments - cellos. Today Apocalyptica is much more than a Metallica cover band. They have their own style and play their own songs. The people at the concerts dont come to hear Metallica songs, they come to hear Apocalyptica. The four ex-Sibelius Academy students Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Max Lilja and Perttu Kivilaakso (replaced Antero Manninen who left the band in 99) have released three albums, worked in numreous cooperations with other musicians and have been touring through Europe almost nonstop for the last few years. We made this interview with Max Lilja and Paavo Lötjönen from Apocalyptica before the concert in Jena/Germany on August 17, 2001. Thanks to Jennifer [...]
Conversation with Margriet Tindemans (1996)
Dutch-born Margriet Tindemans is one of the most sought-after players of early bowed string instruments world-wide. She directs the Northwest Center for Early Music Studies and is on the faculty at the University of Washington. She has recorded for Harmonia Mundi Germany and France, Erato, Accent, Classical Masters, EMI, Smithsonian Collection, Eufoda, CRD, Koch International Classics, and Wildboar. I thought it would be interesting to read the views of an Early Music specialist, since we often read what the typical cellist thinks of the Early Music world. In other words, we get to hear from the "other side" in this interview. For those of you who don't know, when an Early Music person refers to a "Modern Cellist" they are referring to the typical cellist today, who does not attempt [...]
Conversation with Gordon Epperson (1995)
Interview by Tim Janof Gordon Epperson is Professor Emeritus from the University of Arizona. He is a renowned cello pedagogue and author, having written several books and articles, including The Art of Cello Teaching, which was derived from articles he wrote in the eight years he was editor of the "Cellist's Forum" in American String Teacher magazine. His recording of solo cello works by Ysaye, Crumb, and Kodaly has recently been released on CD. TJ: You went to Tanglewood in 1941, where Koussevitzky conducted and when Leonard Bernstein was a student conductor. GE: Yes, there were a number of young conductors, including Thor Johnson and Lukas Foss, but Bernstein was Koussevitzky's clear favorite and just dripped with talent. He wasn't afraid of anybody and was very brash. TJ: What was [...]
Conversation with Cordelia Wikarski-Miedel (1993)
Interview by Tim Janof Ms. Wikarki-Miedel is Instructor of Cello, the Northwest Artist in Residence, and Director of the Chamber Music Department at University of Puget Sound. Comprehensive Bio TJ: You were born in Berlin? CWM: I was born in Berlin shortly before World War II, when Berlin was not divided between East and West. TJ: Were your parents musicians? CWM: My father was professor of piano at the "Hochschule fur Musik" in Berlin, the equivalent of the Juilliard School in New York. He taught from 1927 to 1945, when he was killed by Russians who had invaded Berlin in the last days of the war. My mother was a fine pianist, and was able to play the major piano literature. My parents often played together, sometimes she accompanied him [...]
Conversation with Mark Summer (1997)
Interview by Chris White Mark Summer grew up in Reseda, California in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles. He studied with the Geber family - first with Edwin Geber of the LA Philharmonic, and then with Edwin's wife Gretchen. During high school he played in a Youth Symphony in LA and went to the Congress of Strings two years in a row. After high school he went to Mt. St. Mary's College (near LA) for a year and then transferred to the Cleveland Institute of Music where he received his B.A. in music, studying with Stephen Geber. He then went on to play as a cellist with the Winnipeg Symphony for three years. He has been the cellist of the Turtle Island String Quartet since its inception in 1986. [...]
The World of Improvisation
Particularly for many classically trained musicians, the art of improvisation quite often seems like a world of mystery which—upon beginning to delve into the field—can quickly lead to a deep abyss! We spend so much time from a young age practicing and studying how to feel comfortable playing our instruments, how to sense a purpose in our sound, and ultimately how to mold the very fine black dots and stems on the page into a cosmic energy that we call music. The methods to classically train on any instrument are endless, but each has a common goal of building a foundation for the instruction of music education. And through music education, an aspiring musician can embark on a lifelong pursuit into the study and practice of music. But where does [...]
Conversation with Matt Haimovitz (July, 2003)
Cellist Matt Haimovitz has established himself as one of classical music's most adventurous artists, equally at ease playing the masterworks for his instrument in solo, chamber, and concerto performances in leading concert halls as he is bringing classical music to new listeners in surprising new venues. A teacher, a record label entrepreneur, and a celebrated performer, Haimovitz manifests his love of music not only in the seriousness with which he approaches his work but also with his warm demeanor and the natural expressiveness of his playing. Haimovitz has made headlines with his path-breaking performances of Bach's 6 Suites for Cello Solo. He struck a nerve in the music world with his unprecedented Bach "Listening-Room" Tour, taking Bach's beloved cello suites out of the concert hall and performing them in intimate [...]
What Is the Role of the Musician in the Face of Systemic Injustice? – by Paul Katz
I am writing to you from Boston, one of the U.S. hotspots for the coronavirus, and yet another city where large, peaceful protests are rightfully calling for justice following the killing of George Floyd and countless other innocent black people. Music is a calling that absorbs us, floods our hearts and minds and can remove us from the everyday world and its suffering. But as I look today at a world in chaos, I ask myself, what is the relevance of music, the cello, of culture and the arts in general? What is the role of CelloBello at a time such as this? What can/should we be doing as musicians? While I have been blessed by a long career, I have been continually questioning, as a classical musician, how to [...]
“Back to the Breath” —Mindfulness for Cellists
While we are all facing a new reality with the Covid-19 pandemic spreading all over the globe, our way of experiencing life has taken on a new reality in the present moment. Each day, we are presented with innumerable challenges, from following the sobering news on TV and social media, being bombarded with worries, anxiety and panic about what is next to come in your country, your city, within yourself and for your loved ones. It is important to create a positive outlet in the midst of this uncertain time. As a musician and cellist, you have a way to create a positive outlet by playing the cello. Another positive outlet is to quiet the mind through breathing exercises and meditation. I created “Back to the Breath” Mindfulness and [...]
Conversation with Marston Smith (March, 2003)
Interview by Tim Janof Marston Smith has introduced audiences of all ages to the infinite possibilities of cello repertoire, venturing into Rock & Roll and Trance Celtic, to High Fashion Euro Funk. His performances are renowned for his creative costuming bordering between Cirque du Soleil, Lord of the Rings, and Road Warrior. He received his Master of Music degree from the renowned cellist Bernard Greenhouse and since has appeared on national television (QVC), and has been a soloist with symphony orchestras, and played in recordings for motion picture soundtracks, record albums, and performances in Las Vegas. He currently lives on a mountain top just outside of Los Angeles with his wife and three children. As a professional cellist working in the recording industry he has recorded with Barbara Streisand, Michael [...]
The Bach Suites as You Have Never Seen Them Before — by Antonio Lysy
Hundreds of scholars have studied and written about the Bach Suites, yet we can only speculate about how or when they were first performed. The original manuscript is lost, leaving us with various facsimiles to decipher, and there are no written accounts by Bach’s contemporaries. The one advantage of this predicament is the wide spectrum of artistic decisions on which a cellist is compelled to ruminate, in order to make them “their own.” Apparently the suites were not intended to be performed as a cycle, although this approach has become increasingly common in the last couple of decades. My current perspective, developed over many years of performing and teaching the suites, is that each of the six tells a distinctive story. And, like a series of books or films, each [...]