I attended a house concert last night to see cellist, Stephen Katz.  I was familiar with his name, and by sheer coincidence, I had explored many of his YouTube videos earlier in the week.  A friend of mine invited me to attend the concert with her, and there was no way I could turn down the offer.  As you can see, there was not a bad seat in the house!

I was totally blown away by his non-classical style.  It’s crazy to sit and watch someone playing my instrument, but have no clue how they’re playing it or how they’re making the sounds.  I was becoming envious that my classical training did not teach me how to fully appreciate all the things my instrument can do!  It makes me want to get into improvising and looping and strumming techniques, etc.  Who wants to learn with me?

I told Stephen that I had ordered some of his music earlier this week by coincidence, and he mentioned that I could email or call anytime with questions.  It’s so cool to get an offer like that.  My friend and I also chatted about getting together more to learn this type of playing, and there’s talk of Boulder cellists getting together for an ensemble event.  I’m so inspired to practice and test the waters in some alternative styles.  It seems so fun, and I’ve never been able to just “play around” on my instrument.  Here’s hoping I can break out of the box.   Being a “classical square” is getting old!

Students age 13 and up are invited to participate in my cello ensemble party, March 13, 5-7 pm, in Golden.  I have already selected 2 different Apocalyptica pieces and plan to have many more ensembles to play that day.  It's going to be loads of fun! 

But there's a catch:  students must earn an invitation by completing activities from the Party List.  Download the form here.  Parents should sign off on completed items.  Let the party planning begin!