Solidarity Rather Than Pity
One of the challenges of fundraising for Ukrainian musicians internationally is conveying the experiences of actual people going through the war while refraining from “war porn.” Wrecked tanks and dead bodies scattered around the once peaceful city streets; entire apartment blocks torn down by Russian missiles; women, men, and children, shell-shocked and with blood and soot on their faces, trying to escape this hell—these graphic images certainly travel fast and get instantly carved in memory. This is what Ukraine has come to be associated with over the past year. All these images show the reality of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine, but they don’t give you the full picture. Hundreds of thousands died, millions lost their homes and had to flee; but there are as many—in fact, even more—people [...]
Expanding the Cello Repertoire to Include Women Composers
Several years back I discovered a recording of a beautiful concerto written by the French pianist and composer, Marie Jäell. I immediately fell in love with it’s infectious melodies and knew I wanted to be able to play the piece. I discovered it was unpublished but the manuscripts were housed in the Bibliothèque Nationale et Universitaire de Strasbourg. A friend helped me obtain them so that I could prepare a score for cello and piano. The Jäell concerto is the first known cello concerto written by a woman. Marie Jäell wrote the concerto in 1882 and dedicated the concerto to the cellist Jules Desart who performed the premier. One may assume that he helped her understand cello technique as the work is in a very comfortable key for cello [...]
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 [...]
In the Practice Room with Zlatomir Fung
What is the first thing you do on the cello every day? https://youtu.be/3q5J63LDfB8 What is on your music stand right now? https://youtu.be/C89OAY5MU-s What do you enjoy the most about practicing? What inspires you? https://youtu.be/i1hkEubvKbY How do you stimulate creativity and imagination in the practice room? https://youtu.be/kIYTEkPtelE What is your favorite way to change things up/get new ideas? https://youtu.be/1ZNM7KDmiMs How do you go about deepening your musical imagination? https://youtu.be/4b7aJo8wRFc In your mind, what is it that makes an effective practice session? https://youtu.be/4e5oFe_FLi4 How many hours a day should one practice? Quality or quantity? https://youtu.be/rde85_02Pg4 What are the best ways to prevent injury? https://youtu.be/8ET5esbCVnk What is your balance between technique and repertoire? https://youtu.be/xe-8YubBfGg How has your practicing evolved over the [...]
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 [...]