A music lesson from French Polynesia: two photos taken eight minutes apart at sunset from the same location. We should strive to have this level of contrasts in regards to complexity and changing colors in our sound. Despite the beauty texturally there is only subtle differences from one photo to the other, so we can do better in terms of contrasts that way. However, the existing textures are fabulous! In terms of depth of color and reflection I think this is a great place to start!
Such a pleasure working with members of the New World Symphony cello section last week at the New World Center in addition to our side-by-side performances at the Arsht Center. I’m confident that we are going to be hearing a lot more from these musicians moving forward! @nwsymphony@cleveorch@colbertartists
What a great ride performing Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” in a The Cleveland Orchestra/New World Symphony side-by-side this past weekend in Miami! It is always exciting and inspiring to be a part of this fantastic collaboration! @cleveorch@nwsymphony@colbertartists
Just a wonderful total experience rehearsing and performing with Travis Jürgens and the Heights Chamber Orchestra at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. Thank you for such a fun and joyful time together performing the Haydn C Major Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Andante cantabile. Bravo to all for a beautiful and meaningful performance!
@cleveorch@colbertartists
What a special treat performing Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” Overture (arr. Douglas Moore) with cellists from The Cleveland Orchestra cello section, and John Corigliano’s “The Food of Love” for oboe and cello with our principal oboe Frank Rosenwein this past weekend for the Cleveland Cello Society’s annual iCellisti! concert! In this cello section we are so incredibly fortunate to have such a harmonious blend of musicians, cellists, and personalities who demand excellence at every turn but in the most collaborative and collegial way. Take me out of the picture - it’s one of the great cello sections, period. Thank you for indulging me in this joyful experience! And Frank is Frank….he’s a star - one of the great musical voices to be found anywhere. I can’t believe after the thousands of hours we have performed together that this was the first time in chamber music. Certainly not the last! Congratulations to all of my colleagues who performed, and thank you so much for supporting the Cleveland Cello Society! @cleveorch@colbertartists@idacello55@richardweiss7711@snarglefrutzer@djcellist@mbaldwinoh@bthorntoncello@frankrosenwein
What a treat to rehearse and perform Richard Strauss’s incredible tone poem Don Quixote with Lawrence Golan and the Yakima Symphony Orchestra this week. Thank you for the inspiring performance, for having me again (last time was Dvorak in 2019), and sharing your beautiful community with me! I so enjoyed working with the students at YAMA again as well.
@yakimasymphonyorchestra@colbertartists@cleveorch@lawrencegolanconductor
Looking back at a truly unforgettable week. From the fresh interplay of Andrew Hsu’s new work with En-Chi Cheng to the raw emotion of Tchaikovsky and Wagner alongside the incredible Mark Kosower. Surrendering to the music together on stage was simply breathtaking. This is what it means to share our hearts with you.
@markkosower@viola.enchi.cheng@hsubertt@dkpersonal@yoomfamily
You know it’s a quick trip when your phone tells you “It’s time to check in for your next flight” as you are leaving the rental car center.😳 Thank you Farkhad Khudyev for having me come to The University of Texas at Austin to give a cello sectional on Mahler Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection,” and for literally treating me like family! I SO much enjoyed spending this time with you! Cheers to you and Bion Tsang for not only having such high level students but for having them be so focused, committed, and playing with beauty and soul - not just nice sound and energy in a general sort of way. It was also special to see my former student Katsuaki Arakawa doing so well in Austin. Go Longhorns!!
The Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Cello Society
Colbert Artists Management
Continuing my social media “catch-up” it was amazing to perform the Kodaly Solo Sonata at The Music Settlement a few weeks ago for the Cleveland Cello Society followed up by a presentation of my 27 years of interaction with Janos Starker. He was an incredible human being: a fiercely principled individual, a cheerleader, a tough love no nonsense leader, an unwaveringly loyal person, a generous man, an inspirational teacher, an unmatched pedagogue, a supreme cellist, a musician of the highest order, a true artist and yes…a war hero (not militarily, but humanly by repeatedly risking his life to save others). He was, in the words of Gary Hoffman, “unlike anyone I ever met in the world…anywhere.” I was very happy to share some of m my experiences with him and the countless lessons in life and music that came through these encounters.
Cleveland Cello Society
The Cleveland Orchestra
Colbert Artists Management
