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Cellospeak Studio Chronicles! |
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We are proud to report that our first Cellospeak Studio event (July 31 – August 2, 2020) was a great success! A total of 71 registrants and 17 faculty connected via Zoom from 26 states from across the country as well as from Canada. A special shout-out goes to Bomin Collins, Artistic Director, and Aileen Pisciotta, President (and new Zoom guru), as well as Board members Agnes Manley, Eileen Street, Oona Cheung and Barb Stephenitch for organizing the event and ensuring that all went smoothly!
We were able to see each other’s faces, catch up by talk and text chat, enjoy stimulating classes and hear faculty recitals. It was a bit strange to not hear each other play, and we all really missed the opportunity for a true cello ensemble experience. But people enjoyed having all of their familiar cello “stuff” right at hand, without having to pack up and move frequently. And all of the participants were on mute, so no one had to worry about what they sounded like! Post-event evaluations from both participants and faculty have been overwhelmingly positive. We include a brief summary below, and encourage you to visit our website for more details on all that transpired.
This experience has encouraged us to create additional virtual offerings to supplement our in-person cello workshops for adults, so if you missed this one, rest assured there will be more!!
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Stellar Faculty Presentations
Our talented faculty for the event included Bob Battey, Nancy Baun, Lynne Beiler, Amy Ward Butler, Jihea Choi, Katlyn DeGraw, Carl Donakowski, Jorge Espinoza, Gary Fitzgerald, Bob Jesselson, Ken Law, Devree Lewis, Susanna Mendlow, Camilo Perez-Mejia, Alan Saucedo Estrada, Natalie Spehar, and Irina Tikhonova. They offered a smorgasbord of incredibly useful cello technique classes. Many of the faculty also provided useful handouts and reference materials to enhance their lessons. Although each of the faculty made uniquely valuable presentations, there were many common themes, including:
- Relaxation and Effective Practicing
- Right Hand and Arm Mechanics
- Left Hand Patterns and Arm Mechanics
- Sound Production
- Strategies for Learning Music
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Duet/Etude Classes
In addition to the technique classes, several faculty coached 3 consecutive daily breakout groups focused on learning selected duets (3 easy duets, the Vivaldi Double, and the Beethoven “Eyeglasses” duets). Bob Jesselson also held 3 consecutive classes on the Feuillard Etude #32, focused on bowing techniques and sound production.
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Special Presentations
Our conductor, Gary Fitzgerald, gave an entertaining presentation with concert excerpts featuring Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta and Claudio Abato illustrating what conductors seek to achieve from orchestras and how players can best contribute to a wonderful shared experience.
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Faculty member and former Artistic Director, Ken Law, gave a fascinating presentation on African American composers including David Baker, William Grant Still, Howard Swanson, Dorothy Rudd Moore, George Walker, Joseph Bologna (aka Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges), and Coleridge Taylor Perkinson. Selected videos highlighted accomplished African American cellists such as Khari Joyner and Timothy Holley.
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Faculty Recitals
The highlight of any Cellospeak event is always faculty recitals. Despite some initial technical difficulties, we succeeded in presenting two pre-recorded live-streamed “concerts.” featuring 13 faculty solos, spouse/partner duets, one "trio" including Ken Law's dog Presto, and a virtual "quartet" comprised of 4 Susanna Mendlows! They performed diverse selections including Bach, Vivaldi, Mendelssohn, Squire, Beach, traditional songs, among others, and an original piece by our own Amy Ward Butler.
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Tip Jar
To help us compensate the faculty, we asked concert viewers to contribute to a virtual “Tip Jar”. We are very happy to report that contributions topping $3,000 exceeded our goals and have allowed us to send generous “tips” to all of the faculty. We will be in touch with each individual contributor, but want to publicly express our heartfelt appreciation to all who provided such meaningful support to our faculty.
Videos
We successfully recorded all of the technique sessions, and will soon make those videos available to all registrants as well as faculty. We also hope to make many of the recordings available to those who were not able to attend, and will have more information on that in the near future.
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Cello in the
Time of Covid-19
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Jack Page sent us this photo of the string section of his home ensemble. He said he was wearing his mask on his bald head since they were 10 feet apart and outside! This photo is missing the bass to his right but includes the two violins, the viola and a fellow cellist.
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Congratulations Bomin!
Our inveterate Artistic Director, Bomin Collins, who was designated as a 2019 Outstanding Secondary School Teacher of the Year while at Longfellow Middle School, has just started her new position as Orchestra Director at W.T.Woodson High School in Fairfax, VA.
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Don't forget to make all of your Amazon purchases via Smile.Amazon.com and designate Cellospeak as your preferred charity! |
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Cellospeak, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and we rely on your support. |
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Special thanks to the sponsoring vendors who help us thrive! |
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