Conversation with Lynn Harrell (June, 1996)
Interview by Tim Janof Lynn Harrell is known throughout the world as a cellist, chamber musician, recitalist, conductor, teacher, and recording artist. Mr. Harrell is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Piatigorsky Award, the Ford Foundation Concert Artists' Award, and the first Avery Fisher Prize (jointly with Murray Perahia). TJ: As a teenager you lost both your parents. This kind of trauma would emotionally cripple most people for years. How did you manage to overcome this tragedy and become one of the world's most acclaimed cellists? LH: It took me a long time to come to terms with it. It's an experience that I wouldn't wish on anyone. But I have found the resilience of the human spirit to be extraordinary. Look at what is going on in Bosnia [...]