The cello speaks—perhaps more than any other orchestral instrument—in a way that feels human. Its range overlaps with the human voice, players share space with and embrace their instrument, and its warm, resonant sound expresses bittersweet emotions—longing, melancholy, grief—with authenticity and weight.
Conducted by Eugene Friesen, the 48-cello orchestra honors the 150th birthday of cellist and humanitarian Pablo Casals with arrangements of works by Casals, Villa-Lobos, and other beloved favorites.
Program
Carlos Gardel Por Una Cabeza
Boston University ensemble; Michael Reynolds, director
Gabriel Fauré “Pie Jesu” from Requiem
Longy School of Music of Bard College ensemble; Christine Lamprea, director
Heitor Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5
Nicole DiPasquale, soprano
Dimitri Cervo Toro-Lobiana
Boston Conservatory at Berklee BoCoCelli; Rhonda Rider, director
Pablo (Pau) Casals Nigra Sum, arr. Carles Gumí
New England Conservatory of Music ensemble; Lluís Claret, director
Casals El cant dels ocells per a orquestra de violoncels [Bird Song]
Lluís Claret, soloist
Faculty ensemble: Kee-Hyun Kim, Mark Churchill, Nancy Hair, Rhonda Rider, Andrew Mark, Christine Lamprea, Mike Block
Mike Block When the Birds Sing Along in the Morning (2019), inspired by Pablo Casals’ memoir “Joys and Sorrows”
Mike Block, vocals, cello; Lluis Claret, cello
Casals Sant Martí del Canigó (1943), transcription by Enric Casals
Lluís Claret, soloist; Eugene Friesen, conductor
Faculty Ensemble: Kee-Hyun Kim, Mark Churchill, Nancy Hair, Rhonda Rider, Andrew Mark, Christine Lamprea, Mike Block
Andrés Mejía Rojas, Francesca McNeeley, Robert Mayes, Shoshonah Israilevich, Mina Kim,
Javier Caballero, Michal Shein, Bithyah Israel, Rhea Gibson
Blaise Dejardin Aquarela do violoncello (2012)
Kee-Hyun Kim, soloist
Casals Sardana per a orquestra de violoncels (Sant Felix, 1927)
All-Cello Orchestra (48 cellists), Eugene Friesen, conductor
Berklee School of Music, Boston Conservatory of Music, Boston University, Longy School of Music, New England Conservatory students
and faculty ensemble