Cellissimo Ambassador Evening
Monday, May 20, 2024 at 8:00 pm
Town Hall Theatre
Catherine Cotter, cello
Finghin Collins, piano
| CARL MARIA CON WEBER | Adagio and Rondo |
| FAURÉ | Papillon |
| SHOSTAKOVICH | Sonata for cello and piano |
Open Auditions with performances by the Cellissimo Ambassador finalists.
The Cellissimo Ambassador programme grew out of a special project – the Galway Cello. This is an instrument that was commissioned for the first edition of Cellissimo based on a concept by Philip Fogarty. Luthier Kuros Torkzadeh had the brief to fashion an instrument out of timbers that had grown in Co. Galway. Not only did the instrument turn out to be beautiful visually, with its scroll in the distinctive shape of a Claddagh Ring, but it has also developed a rich tone which is admired and enjoyed by a growing number of cellists. In order to give this instrument its deserved life, the Cellissimo Ambassador programme was devised.
We spend this evening with Mullingar cellist Catherine Cotter, our first Cellissimo Ambassador. Catherine speaks with Music for Galway CEO Anna Lardi of her experiences with the Galway Cello over the past three years and performs with Artistic Director Finghin Collins. We also select the next Cellissimo Ambassador with three finalists performing live auditions (accompanied by Dearbhla Brosnan) and at the end of the evening the cello is handed over.
“The Galway Cello”
The head of the Galway Cello
is crowned by a heart
held within a gold ring
within each string
a pulse, quickened by a brush of hair
and carried into a body of sound
that ripples in the Corrib
and out beyond the bay
we heard our cello
long before the bridge was shaped
even before its song
was carved into the scroll
it rang in our hearts
and it called us home.
by Nicola Geddes
SPONSORED BY TECHRETE
THE GALWAY CELLO IS SPONSORED BY MJ CONROY
