Tag Archives: cello

Arts & Entertainment, Music

An Eclectic Easter With the Portland Cello Project

Portland Cello Project (Photo: Jason Quigley)
Portland Cello Project (Photo: Jason Quigley)

Portland Cello Project knows how to rock. They also know how to jazz, to funk, to rap, and to classical. It seems like there isn’t a musical genre that hasn’t been lovingly remixed by this roving band of cellists. Since 2007, the dozen-or-so musicians of PCP (as they’re lovingly called by members and fans) have pursued their mission to to boldly go where no cello has gone before, from rock clubs and art galleries to sports arenas and dive bars.

The ensemble’s adventurous arrangements and cello-playing chops have won them legions of fans in the Portland area and beyond. After wowing Seattle audiences in 2013 with an eclectic mix of Beck, Bach, and Brubeck, the band returned to the Triple Door on April 20 for an Easter Sunday concert. They were joined by the Alialujah Choir, a band of fellow Portlanders who blend folk-inspired tunes with layered vocal harmonies.

Alialujah Choir (Photo: Tarina Westlund)

In true PCP spirit, Sunday’s program had something for everyone. Hits by Radiohead, Kanye West, Beck, and Fleet Foxes figured prominently, along with fallen hometown hero Elliott Smith. A nod to the cello’s classical roots came in the form of Rossini’s William Tell Overture and a tribute to British choral composer John Tavener. The ensemble’s take on Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo à la Turk” was one of the most interesting arrangements of the evening, the ensemble tossing Brubeck’s energetic piano theme from cellist to cellist.

Sunday’s concert was performed by six of the ensemble’s rotating group of cellists, all fine players at the top of their game. I was impressed by the quality of PCP’s arrangements, which utilize the full range of the cello and often play with timbre in clever ways. Their arrangement of Tavener’s “The Lamb” brought a buoyant quality to the solemn choral piece, shedding a new light on the Easter-appropriate work. In contrast, the arrangement of the theme from Princess Mononoke echoed the film score to a tee, evoking the soaring string melody of the original.

The six cellists received support on some songs from a backup band of drums, bass, trumpet, and keyboard. Though the rhythm section added a lot of energy to the ensemble, the songs with drums and bass guitar sounded muddled and too busy. The reverb on the bass guitar drowned out the nuanced cello arrangements in some of the more rocking tunes like Radiohead’s “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” and Beck’s “Paper Tiger”. A jazzy cello solo in Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo à la Turk” was barely audible amidst accompaniment from the other cellists as well as the backup band.

Vocalist Patti King also joined the cellists for a few numbers. She quickly became a crowd favorite, drawing cheers for her performances of Radiohead, Beck, and her own original song, “My Arrow”. PCP and King joined forces for a couple of numbers from Beck’s Song Reader, the artist’s 2012 album that was released only in sheet music format. The wry “Last Night You Were a Dream” was full of charm, with King’s sunny vocals floating over cello harmonies.

Not surprisingly, PCP sounds best when focusing on what its members know best: The cello and its vast musical capabilities. My favorite piece of the evening was “Denmark”, an original work written for the ensemble by composer and founding member Gideon Freudmann. A tentative pizzicato phrase kicks off the tune, transforming into a countermelody as the layers of the piece slowly unfold, revealing an elegant theme that’s passed around the group. It’s a short, relatively simple little piece, but “Denmark” goes far in showcasing the range and versatility of the cello ensemble.

In the spirit of Portland-flavored DIY, Sunday’s program was a true community effort, bringing together arrangements by different members of the band. With a repertoire of over 800 songs, it’s easy to believe that no two PCP shows are alike. I appreciated the opportunity to hear from each of the six cellists during their Triple Door performance, whether it be in the form of a solo passage or through a piece they arranged.

Alialujah Choir opened the evening with a brief set. With one band member missing due to illness, guitarist Adam Shearer and pianist Meredith Adelaide struggled to impart fullness to the group’s brand of wistful folk tunes. Their efforts were valiant indeed, with the pair’s lovely vocal harmonies floating in perfect balance with intertwining instrumentals. However, without the harmonizing power of the full band, the typically-rich songs felt a little hollow and repetitive after the first few numbers.

Keep an eye on Alialujah Choir for a chance to catch them in full force and health. They’ll be touring Oregon, Idaho, and the Southwest with Blitzen Trapper this fall.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

What We’re Hearing This Month: Classical Music Picks For April

Portland Cello Project (Photo: Tarina Westlund)

Spring is in full bloom around Seattle, from the University of Washington’s famed cherry trees to the patches of tulips poking up in home gardens around town. With these seasonal transitions come musical changes as well; local ensembles and concert venues look towards warmer weather this month with music of growth, rebirth, and summer sunshine.

April 8 — Trio con Brio Copenhagen performs as part of the UW World Series. Comprised of two Korean sisters and a Danish pianist, the ensemble performs classics by Beethoven and Mendelssohn as well as a piece by Danish composer Per Nørgård.

April 11 – 19 — Pacific Northwest Ballet‘s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream combines Mendelssohn’s beloved score with gorgeous choreography by 20th century master George Balanchine. PNB completes the magic with whimsical pastel-hued sets and costumes.

April 12 — A Russian composer of Jewish heritage, Maximilian Steinberg completed his 1927 choral masterpiece Passion Week just before Stalin’s ban on religious music went into effect. As a result, the piece was never performed. Choral ensemble Cappella Romana sheds light on this lost work with world premiere performances in Portland (April 11) and Seattle (April 12).

April 20 — Portland Cello Project rolls into town with the folk singers of the Alialujah Choir, a fellow Oregonian ensemble. The cellists and vocalists bring an eclectic mix of tunes to the stage at the Triple Door.

April 22 — Cellist Joshua Roman is back in town with a new program of musical gems for Town Hall audiences. The Town Music series artistic director is joined by Lithuanian pianist Andrius Zlabys for music by Stravinsky, Schnittke, and others.

April 24 & 26 — Seattle Symphony concertmaster Alexander Velinzon takes the stage for Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major. Afterwards, the spotlight shifts to the symphony in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra.

April 26 — Guest harpsichordist Alexander Weimann leads the Seattle Baroque Orchestra in “Delirio Amoroso”, a program that explores George Frideric Handel’s visit to Rome. Hear Italian music of the early 18th century alongside pieces the young Handel composed during his stay in the capitol.

April 29 — Intrepid violinist Hilary Hahn has covered vast musical territory in her career, from Baroque sonatas to contemporary composers. Her UW World Series solo recital features a medley of works by Mozart, Schubert, Schoenberg, Telemann, and others.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Seattle Symphony Cellist Efe Baltacıgil Delights With Dvořák

Ludovic Morlot at Opening Night at Seattle Symphony, 2011 (Photo: Ben VanHouten)
Ludovic Morlot at Opening Night at Seattle Symphony, 2011 (Photo: Ben VanHouten)

Seattle Symphony showcased the talents of one of their own this past weekend, featuring principal cellist Efe Baltacıgil in a performance of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor. A bustling Thursday night crowd at Benaroya Hall greeted the charismatic cellist, who has won many fans among Seattle audiences since his arrival in 2011. Though the Dvořák concerto seemed to be the highlight of the evening for many symphony-goers, the March 27 concert included two 20th century gems: Claude Debussy’s La Mer (“The Sea”) and Edgard Varèse’s Déserts.

Premiered in 1896, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor remains a favorite among audiences for its memorable themes and wide range of musical colors. Like many of the composer’s other works, the piece draws inspiration from folk tunes of Dvořák’s native Bohemia (part of today’s Czech Republic). Full of appealing melodies and exciting exchanges between orchestra and soloist, the concerto has plenty to offer for new listeners and seasoned fans alike.

Cellist Efe Baltacıgil (Photo: Christian Steiner)

This interplay between cello and orchestra makes Dvořák’s concerto the perfect work for Baltacıgil. A skilled chamber musician, the cellist blended well with the orchestra on Thursday evening. At times, the performance felt like an intimate conversation between Baltacıgil, Morlot, and the symphony. I particularly enjoyed Baltacıgil’s numerous duets with flutist Christie Reside throughout the concerto’s three movements.

Baltacıgil also knows how to take a good melody and make it sing. His lyrical solo passages in the first movement oozed tenderness, while tumultuous sections of the third movement were full of passion. The piece’s second movement balanced between the two, equal parts sweet and stormy. Although he looked quite exhausted at times, Baltacıgil handled the quick transitions between emotions with finesse.

Any signs of tiredness disappeared at the start of the third movement, the most exciting and energetic of the three. Baltacıgil tucked in eagerly, like a schoolboy reaching for a second slice of cake. He kept the energy building all the way up to Dvorak’s deliciously drawn-out finale, bringing the audience to its feet as the last notes faded.

The second half of the program featured two 20th century pieces inspired by natural environments. Varèse’s Déserts was written after the composer visited New Mexico, while Debussy’s La Mer commemorates the composer’s love of the ocean. Speaking from the stage to introduce the two works, Morlot emphasized the power of both pieces to evoke the sensory of experience of these natural environments. “They were inspired by the same journey…by the memory of being in those landscapes.”

An innovator constantly in search of new musical timbres, Varèse was one of the first composers to experiment with electronic sounds. Déserts was one of the products of his tinkering. In its original form, the piece alternated between snippets of electronic tape and music performed by a chamber orchestra of percussion, piano, woodwinds, and brass. Though Thursday’s concert featured a later version without the tape, it’s easy to imagine the work’s jagged melodic snippets and clusters of percussion juxtaposed with early electronic sounds.

Though Déserts is abstract, lacking any suggestion of a melodic theme, it doesn’t take a huge leap of the imagination to envision the desert’s stark landscape in the piece’s collection of sounds. Percussion plays a primary role in the work, which requires a veritable army percussion instruments, from woodblocks and chimes to gongs, timpani, and a dozen drums of all sizes.

It was a treat to watch Seattle Symphony’s team of percussionists in action, briskly moving between instruments across Benaroya’s vast stage. A gigantic metal sheet made a shimmering sound when struck, evoking wavering mirages tucked in the desert’s heat waves. Snare drums positioned across the stage from each other traded volleys of taps and patters. Meanwhile, reedy woodwind notes wove between majestic columns of brass sound, which towered overhead like stone monoliths.

Like the ever-changing ocean it depicts, Debussy’s La Mer is restless, shifting through a spectrum of moods and vivid musical imagery. This is a piece that’s meant to be experienced live. Under Morlot’s baton, Debussy’s music leapt to life, full of joyous energy, with melodies and colors flowing across the stage and through the auditorium.

La Mer unfolds slowly with a first movement that evokes a morning on the open sea. Snippets of melodies are heard as the ocean awakens. Particularly tantalizing were brief solo passages by concertmaster Alexander Velinzon and English hornist Stefan Farkas. Morlot and the orchestra emphasized Debussy’s unusual rhythmic patterns, evoking frolicking waves illuminated by sunbeams peeking through the clouds.

Full of quicksilver scales and chromatic runs, the second movement showcased the Seattle Symphony’s string section. Emphatic harp plucks and swooping passages accompanied the swirling string melodies. The excitement reached its peak in the third movement, which depicts the clash of wind and water. Under Morlot’s direction, I could both see and hear Debussy’s waves rippling through the orchestra from section to section.

Seattle Symphony continues the concert season with Carl Orff’s 1936 masterpiece for orchestra and chorus, Carmina Burana. The work’s famous “O Fortuna” movement has been used in countless films and TV shows. The symphony presents three performances of Carmina Burana this week from April 3 – 6.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

From Bach to Heavy Metal, Simple Measures Celebrates All Things Cello

Head bobbing and curls flying, Matt Haimovitz plays the cello like a rock star, leaning into his instrument to conjure forth a bold sound that captures your attention. A jack-of-all-trades in the classical music world, the Montreal-based cellist’s career is full of star-studded collaborations (among them Philip Glass, Isaac Stern, and Mstislav Rostropovich, to name a few) but also marches to the beat of his own drum. He was the first classical musician to play at New York’s notorious punk rock club CBGB and currently leads Montreal’s all-cello ensemble, Uccello, performing a repertoire that spans from Bartók to big band.

Haimovitz’s freewheeling style made him the perfect guest artist for Simple Measures, a local chamber music concert series that emphasizes the up-close-and-personal experience (“Any closer and you’d be licking varnish!” proclaims their website). The brainchild of Seattle cellist Rajan Krishnaswami, Simple Measures combines top-notch local talent (and the occasional out-of-town visitor) with eclectic programs of chamber music and a casual concert format, including audience Q&A sessions during the show.

On November 15, Haimovitz arrived in Seattle with a selection of his favorite cello pieces for the first Simple Measures concert of the 2013-14 season. The second of Simple Measures’ “Cello Divas” shows, the performance brought three local cellists — Krishnaswami, Seattle Symphony Assistant Principal cellist Meeka Quan-DiLorenzo, and Central Washington University cello professor John Michel — to join Haimovitz on the Town Hall stage for a celebration of all things cello.

The first half of the program featured six works for solo cello performed by Haimovitz. Ranging from Bach to the Beatles, the short pieces showcased the cellist’s ability to capture and convey the musical essence of a work, no matter what century it was composed. The Prelude from J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major served as the inspiration for the first part of Haimovitz’s mini-recital, which paired the familiar piece with an earlier work by Italian composer Domenico Gabrielli as well as the Seattle premiere of Philip Glass’ Dance Movement for Solo Cello.

All three pieces featured climbing and falling melodic lines that showcased Haimovitz’s ability to lift written notes off the page, making them feel fresh and improvisational. In particular, his interpretation of Gabrielli and Bach took many liberties with tempo, but the dramatic stretching and compression of phrases was convincing and accentuated the natural ebb and flow of each phrase.

A trio of modern pieces based on folk, jazz, and pop traditions followed, immersing the audience in a diverse range of sounds from across the globe. Based on Serbian folk tunes, Lisa Bielawa‘s “Why Did You Lie to Me” alternated between winding melodies and buzzing rhythmic sections. Written as a memorial for victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, jazz composer David Sanford‘s “7th Avenue Kaddish” uses the cello to pay homage to John Coltrane’s soulful saxophone in “A Love Supreme” as well as the haunting tones of a Jewish cantor singing a song of mourning.

Haimovitz rounded out the solo portion of the evening with the Beatles, performing an arrangement of “Helter Skelter” by Luna Pearl Woolf, his wife. Full of opportunities to show off his technical wizardry and rock star showmanship, the arrangement had Haimovitz sliding helter skelter up and down the fingerboard, his cello wailing like an electric guitar.

The other three cellists joined Haimovitz on stage for the rest of the program, which featured works for cello ensemble. Again, the repertoire was all over the map, a fun blend of music that represented everything from jazz and tango to Bartok and heavy metal. Composed for Duke Ellington’s big band, Billy Strayhorn’s “Bloodcount” sizzled as a piece for cello ensemble. With Haimovitz comfortable as any jazz musician in the improvisational soloist role, David Sanford’s arrangement captured the soul of the original tune.

Another highlight was Woolf’s arrangement of Bartók’s Roumanian Dances, one of the composer’s most beloved piano works. In Woolf’s four-cello version, the third movement’s faint melancholy melody high on the piano becomes a haunting, otherworldly wail that’s only possible on a string instrument. In contrast, the fourth movement’s low tones rumbled out of Haimovitz’s cello with a tolling sonority that sent shivers down my spine.

A pair of gems by early 20th century composer Bohuslav Martinů were a treat for the ears. Performed by Krishnaswami, Michel, and Quan-DiLorenzo, the two Arabesques contrasted intense layers of glorious cello tones (“Arabesque No. 5″) with light and bubbly splashes of sound evocative of Impressionist composers like Debussy and Ravel (“Arabesque No. 6″). Consistent ensemble playing coupled with a lighthearted mood made for a lovely performance of these rarely-performed works for three cellos.

One of the evening’s unexpected treats was a cover of “Path” by Apocalyptica, a heavy metal cello band from Finland. It turns out that metal’s driving melodies and pulsing beats sound fantastic when rendered on an ensemble of four cellos. The Simple Measures quartet blazed through the arrangement, pulling out all the stops and looking like they were having the time of their lives. Their energy was infectious, and I found myself walking out of Town Hall at the end of the evening humming the song’s main melody.

Krishnaswami and the rest of the Simple Measures crew have a wide variety of offerings planned for the rest of the season. Their next program, with performances on February 14 and 16, features Seattle Symphony principal flutist Demarre McGill. Looking further ahead, concerts in spring 2014 include collaborations with Northwest Boychoir and Spectrum Dance Theater.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Cheers for Joshua Roman’s TownMusic All-Cello Celebration

Joshua Roman (Photo: Tina Su)

Joshua Roman’s TownMusic series wrapped up Tuesday night at Town Hall, with music entirely for four to eight cellos. Some might think a grouping like this could be boring, but it’s not the first time at Town Hall we’ve had only cellos, and it’s a wonderfully rich, reverberant sound. Roman turns out not only to be a fine emcee as he introduces music or musicians, his choices are eclectic and enlivening, and his programming well arranged.

Thus the first half of the program had to do with spiritual life and death, beginning and ending with arrangements by Roman of Radiohead’s “Street Spirit” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” In between came Piazzolla’s La Muerte del Angel and his La Resurrección del Angel, either side of Richard Strauss’ “Beim Schlafengen (Going to Sleep)” from Four Last Songs, and followed by La deploration (lament, sorrow) sur la mort de Johannes Ockeghem by Josquin, and Arvo Pärt’s Fratres.

They made for a consistently engaging group of works, with successful arrangements of the Strauss by Walter Gray and the Josquin by Charles Jacot. Four cellists performed most of this: Roman, Julie Albers from Atlanta, Richard Belcher from New York, and Efe Baltacigil, just ending his first year as principal cello of the Seattle Symphony.

“Street Spirit” translated well into a restful and relaxed introduction to this concert theme, while the unmistakable Argentinian idiom of Piazzolla flavored his two works. A canon and a romantically soulful melody imbued the first, and a declamatory role followed a hypnotic start in the second, with a more agitated vigor toward the end. In both of these Baltacigil took the lead, while Belcher and Albers had the melody in the Strauss.

Roman chose throughout most of the concert to anchor the lowest accompanying musical line, handing the limelight to his talented colleagues, each of whom played with expressive warmth and an easy technique which seemed to release the sound rather than pull it out of the instrument.

The reduction of vibrato in the lower voices gave a pure sound to the Josquin polyphony, where Belcher’s tone floated lightly above, much of this very soft and fading out at the end.

For the Pärt, the four cellists were joined by four more, Jacot, Gray, Roberta Hansen Downey, and Meeka Quan DiLorenzo (the last three Seattle Symphony cellists and Jacot a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet orchestra and frequent Symphony sub), plus a drummer in a minor role, Antonio DiLorenzo.

Fratres, a gorgeous, moving work with two soft continuing drones at the side (Roman and Jacot), alternated a slow melody like a peaceful hymn tune often using harmonics with plucks, taps, and bounced bows in brief.

All of these works were so varied in approach, though never very loud, that they consistently held the attention. Not so “Stairway to Heaven,” which in comparison sounded dull, repetitive, and unimaginative.

A commissioned world premiere by Mason Bates for solo cello followed intermission. Bates, who writes successfully for large orchestra incorporating electronics into his music, commented on the challenge of writing for one acoustic instrument, saying that he had eventually realized that there is a wide range of musical variety in the tone of that one instrument.

However, his realization did not really come to fruition in his Town Hall Analog. His 15-minute work largely comprised arpeggios from bottom to top of the instrument, sometimes plucked, sometimes with a harmonic and a longer note with more character at the top. The whole was quite spare. There was little by way of phrasing, development, or an arched shape to the piece, and Bates failed to take any advantage of the depth and sonorities of the cello, making it feel more an intellectual exercise. Roman performed this without a score, giving it a well-considered performance.

Totally different and much more appealing was Anne Wilson’s moving Lament (in Memory of Matthew Shepard), for solo cello with cello quartet. Here the solo was taken by Albers. It’s programmatic, but not overtly so, finely harmonized and with all the emotional content lacking in Bates’ piece.

Lastly, the eight cellos played the first of Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras, the composer’s take on Bach, Brazilian-style. The cellos mostly played in pairs, their synchronicity extraordinary and the whole highly satisfying. Ensemble work was excellent, throughout the concert, matched not only in being together but with matched tone in each piece, and all of them first-class musicians. It was particularly good to hear Baltacigil in a prominent role.

This was a long concert, more than two and a half hours, but the jam-packed Town Hall audience would likely have been happy to stay for more.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Joshua Roman’s All-Star Cello Extravaganza Rolls Into Town Hall

Joshua Roman and an all-cello ensemble perform music by Mason Bates, Richard Strauss, Astor Piazzolla, Hector Villa-Lobos, Arvo Pärt, and Led Zeppelin at Town Hall Seattle on Tuesday, June 19, 2012, at 7:30 p.m.

Cellist Joshua Roman has been making waves in Seattle since 2006, when he was named principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony. After a two-year tenure with the Symphony, Roman left to pursue a solo career, but has remained a strong force in the local classical music scene. As artistic director of Town Hall’s popular TownMusic concert series, he’s brought innovative classical music programming to Seattle audiences, with a special focus on new music and emerging artists.

The 2011-12 TownMusic season concludes this Tuesday with an all-star cello concert featuring Roman and seven prominent local cellists. The diverse program spans centuries and genres, including Strauss art songs, Piazzolla tangos, and a Led Zeppelin cover arranged by Roman himself. Performances feature a variety of cello ensembles, ranging from solo cellist to cello octet.

Joshua Roman (Photo: Tina Su)

The highlight of the evening will be the world premiere of a work for solo cello by composer Mason Bates, continuing the TownMusic tradition of premiering a commissioned work at the final concert of each season. An acclaimed performer, composer, and DJ, Bates is taking the classical music world by storm with his unique blend of orchestral and electronic sounds.

Roman plans to carry TownMusic’s winning blend of ambitious programming, exciting new works, and emerging talent into the upcoming 2012-13 season. “Next season will retain the diversity of style and era that has been showcased in previous seasons, but with a few twists,” he said, writing from Nova Scotia, where he recently completed a two-week residence at the Scotia Festival of Music. “There will be familiar faces as well as some new ones that we’re excited to introduce to Seattle.”

Although next season’s lineup won’t be revealed until Tuesday’s concert, Roman hinted at the surprises in store. “We’re adding the element of humor. It’s something which we can all relate to, and is often overlooked during our pursuit of the ‘seriousness’ in music.”

TownMusic’s owes much of its success to Roman’s fresh perspective on classical music. To him, it’s a continually evolving art form that honors the past while adapting to the current cultural climate. “If you really look at the history of classical music over the last few centuries, rather than just the last 50-60 years, you see that one of its biggest strengths has been the ability to adapt to cultural changes and needs. Sometimes ahead of the curve, and sometimes with a bit of a lag, but always changing.”

This viewpoint has inspired him in the choices he’s made with TownMusic. The series offers something for everyone, from world-class performances of chamber music favorites to genre-blending new works inspired by rock, pop, electronica, and jazz. Often, music representing these two extremes appears in the same concert program.

Roman emphasizes the importance of experimentation in his role as TownMusic artistic director. “There is a way of thinking that is ‘this is how it’s been done, and so it should always be done this way’, but I think that is an unproductive mode to be in. These days, as orchestras are trying new things every season, its easy to see the need for flexibility as a presenter.”

The concept of flexibility extends to Roman’s view of himself as a performer. “I think we need to be adapting more as musicians. The era of recording changed the game and brought new levels of technical proficiency and competition to all corners of the music world, but in the pursuit of ‘perfection’ some important musical elements can become undervalued. Great musicians of the past wrote, played, and presented music, even if they were better at one than the others.”

Roman stresses the importance of these skills to today’s classical musicians. “In my own experience, writing music has helped me understand more of how a composer might think, and therefore enhanced my interpretations and ability to focus on the ‘what’ and ‘how’ in music, not just try to hit each note perfectly.”

Tuesday’s concert perfectly embodies Roman’s philosophy of musical flexibility, incorporating his talents as a performer, arranger, and concert presenter. Though he will be performing as a soloist, Roman is also enthusiastic about his role as a collaborative musician. “I’ve chosen some points during the concert to highlight the other cellists in the core quartet, so I’ll get to play ‘second fiddle’ on several of the pieces, something I’m really looking forward to.”

The concert isn’t just an opportunity to grow musically. For Roman, it’s a labor of love. “(It’s) something I have wanted to put on at Town Hall Seattle for a few years now,” he said. The concert pays tribute to the cello, showcasing what Roman describes as “its inherent range of expressivity, color, and sexiness”. “The cello is not only a unique voice, but a versatile one, so the repertoire was chosen to reflect this ability to be vocal, to be rhythmic, to be ethereal, and to rock out.”

Roman relishes this opportunity to collaborate with others who share his passion for the cello. Among the cellists joining him on stage are several Seattle Symphony members, including current principal cellist Efe Baltacigil. It’ll be a veritable Seattle cello family reunion. “It is a great joy to work with colleagues you haven’t seen in awhile. Cellists tend to be a cool bunch of musicians to hang with!”