Welcome to your new music journey! I’m so excited you’re here. Obviously you will first need a cello. Depending on your size you will need a 1/2, 3/4 or full size cello which you can rent from any of these local stores:
I was asked to join the Carleton College Orchestra for their spring concert and I am so glad I did! The selection of music was amazing, the conductor James T. Chang was amazing, the musicians were amazing.. I almost cried about 4 times during the concert.
My two favorite pieces that we played are very very different from each other. The first is so interesting and inspiring!
Jessie Montgomery’s 2012 piece “Starburst”
We had a wonderful piano player who soloed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. It’s such a beautiful piece in every way, so moving!
I watched this movie the other day about the famous British cellist Jacqueline du Pre and wow.. it was so good!! She was an incredible cellist best known for her Edward Elgar Cello Concerto performances.
I think that part of the curiosity about her is that she had to stop playing in her 20’s due to a debilitating nerve disorder. The Cello Museum has a wonderful article about her.
The movie Hilary and Jackie is from 1998 and definitely has some of that era’s styles. But overall this was a great portrait of her and I really wonder about some of the drama between her and her sister.. was it real?! You’ll have to watch it to see what I’m talking about..
I just watched this movie from 1988 “The Red Violin” and it was so good!! It was a very inspiring story about a violin built in Italy in 1681.
The journey it takes across 400 years is amazing: going to a monastery in 1700’s Germany, to a virtuoso in Oxford, England, to communist China in the 1960’s (where it is almost destroyed for being Western), and then all the way to an auction house in Montreal where it sells for 2 million dollars.
The music was mostly performed by the great Joshua Bell. I highly recommend!
I’ve played so many weddings (hundreds?!) and there is definitely a sweet spot for the ceremony length.
Imagine that you are invited to a wedding and you spend time shopping for the perfect outfit, clear your schedule, get dressed with hair and makeup and all the wonderful things.. you arrive early, everyone looks beautiful.. and then the actual ceremony is super short!!
No one wants to be bored by a 3 hour long ceremony but you definitely want to give your guests and family a feeling that they are witnessing a deep and love filled unity of two people. This means a feeling of ceremony and ritual even if you are not religious.
For a small intimate wedding a good length is 20-30 minutes. This will give you time to walk down the aisle, exchange vows, perform a meaningful unity ceremony, exchange rings, KISS!… and then walk down to the aisle to everyone clapping and cheering and crying!
There are always opportunities for music when you add unity ceremonies since they don’t have any speaking. It’s a time for everyone to slow down, take in the moment, be present, enjoy your love.. and remember you two forever!
Love this Irish folk song.. it’s so fun to play!! One day I would love to have a St. Patricks Day concert and get some Irish dancers involved.. maybe 2027!?
I’m very excited to be organizing this April 25th cello recital for my students from Northfield and New Prague.
We are going to have about 13 wonderful performances including a few duets! Everyone has been working on their pieces for about 2 months and it’s all coming together. I’m super proud of them 🙂
A huge thank you to Emmaus Church in Northfield for being so gracious. They are very supportive of musicians and I feel very blessed!
And of course, there will be treats at the reception 🙂
