Carlsen Cello FoundationNews Fall 2005 Putting cellos in the hands of deserving students

UNIQUE CONCERT SETTING AT SEATTLE’S RAINIER CLUB On August 9, the Rainier Club of Seattle presented cellist Haeyoon Shin (featured in our Spring newsletter) in a short concert at one of their monthly members’ gatherings. Ray Carlsen spoke briefly and answered questions about the Foundation’s mission and activities. Miss Shin and her sister then performed the first movement of Schubert’s Sonata in A minor for Cello and Piano, the “Arpeggione”, to a “standing-room-only” audience.

One reason for this, besides the beautiful playing, was the unusual performance setting. The Rainier Club’s piano regularly sits on a grand marble landing, and it was decided that the concert should take place right there. Listeners stood on the stairs, got the best views, and enjoyed the live, wonderful acoustics.

As noted by Christopher Chan, Director of Club Programs & Events, "It was our treat to have [the Carlsen Cello Foundation] .....great music echoed through our Clubhouse." Adds Membership Director Brenda Sol, “What a fabulous treat for our members to be indulged in beautiful cello music while learning about a wonderful cause.” Such events provide important exposure and support for the Foundation, and the Rainier Club was a welcoming and elegant venue. We very gratefully thank the Rainier Club and Haeyoon.

PROFILE: CAMDEN SHAW Camden Shaw is an extremely articulate and mature 16-year-old. And he is extremely serious about the cello. Camden has won the Concerto Competition and Festival

Medal twice each at the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival. And after an “incredible” experience this past summer as a participant at Music@Menlo’s Young Performers Program in California, Camden, a high school sophomore, has decided to make the transition to home schooling, to give himself time – about 8 hours a day – to work at the cello. He studies with Toby Saks.

Camden started playing at age 6. His parents wanted a family string quartet, and Camden was happy to help: his mother is a violist; his father and sister are violinists. His interest in the cello really sparked at about age 10

while studying Bach. One of his present goals is to perform all of the Bach Suites in recital within the next two years. Other repertoire of the moment or soon to come includes a Shostakovich Concerto, Boccherini Sonata and Bloch’s Schelomo. Camden plays an 1810 Henry Lockey Hill cello from the Foundation which he “absolutely loves”. The fact that it is a small full-size cello benefits the upper register and helps make it “very much a solo instrument”. Other interests – when there is time - include sailing, a family hobby. He loves the ocean, and finds sailing inspiring on many levels. But mostly, it gives him time with his family. Asked about his dreams and expectations, Camden replies that he will be happy “anywhere the cello takes him”. He is thrilled by the “huge, grandiose amount of sound” he can be part of in an orchestra, but also loves chamber music. He is now starting his first student on the cello and can also see himself on a university faculty. But for now, he plans to just practice “as much as he can”.

LOOKING FOR IN A CELLO: SOME WORDS OF WISDOM Recently we spoke with Rafael Carraba, owner of Rafael Carrabba Violins in Seattle, along with Thomas Immel, Duncan MacDonald, and Greg Oxrieder, all craftsmen who work at the shop. Carrabba Violins has an international reputation for restorations and sales of beautiful intruments in almost all price ranges. They love to get instruments with “unrealized potential”.

Many Carlsen Foundation cellos have passed through the elegant Queen Anne shop. We asked about some common concerns in purchasing a cello for a serious student What should one expect to pay? What’s better… new or old instruments? What cosmetic flaws or past repairs should send out “red flags”? What makes a cello sound great? What can the layperson tell about an instrument just by looking? Two points became abundantly clear: it depends on the instrument, and one must consult an expert. But here are some general guidelines. One can expect to pay around $5,000 for a good beginner’s cello, and at least $15, 000 for a more advanced student. Older cellos often have a richer, more played-in sound, but there are modern instruments and makers well worth considering. It is always worth checking out German cellos from Merkneukirchen and Erlangen (before 1970), and from the workshop of John Juzek in Prague. Some “red flags” are large base bar cracks and sound post cracks, especially on the back of the instruments. If any repair looks badly done, you can probably trust your own eye. And perhaps most subjective: the sound. Some factors to consider: evenness of tone, power, ease of playing, openness of sound. Listen to really good players for elements of their sound that you particularly like. Also, play as many instrumetns as you can, listening to how they sound both under your own ear, and played by someone else. Regarding judging specific measurements and structural details on your own - “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”. Ask the experts. Rafael Carrabba Violins 405 W. Galer Seattle, WA (206) 783-5566

PROFILE: LAVENA JOHANSON

It is a small world. Lavena Johansson was speaking with Camden Shaw about cellos. Camden mentioned the Carlsen Cello Foundation, and the rest is history. A cello from the Foundation served as an invaluable and important bridge for Lavena over the last several years. And this past summer, she met a violin-

maker while studying at the Yellow Barn and Bowdoin Music Festivals on the East Coast. He showed her a Viseltear and Young cello with which she fell in love. By this time, Lavena and her family were able to buy the instrument.

Lavena is 16 and has been playing since the age of 6, when her mother, whose favorite instrument is the cello, chose it for her. Lavena started lessons with her father, a bass player. She also worked with the late cellist David Tonkonogui, and is currently studying with Ray Davis, principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony. Lavena won the 2004 Marrowstone Festival’s Concerto Competition and performed the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto at Western Washington University. But her greatest love, she says, is chamber music. Her dream is one day to play in a professional string quartet like the Emerson. She keeps very busy as cellist of two trios and the Roosevelt String Quartet from Roosevelt High School. Since receiving the Emerson’s complete Shostakovich String Quartets, exploring these works has become a passion for Lavena. Her Quartet, – her “favorite ensemble” – has won awards in state-wide competitions and is now working on the Shostakovich Quartet No. 3. Other passions include reading and writing. Lavena says she is getting more into expository writing through a class at school this year. Along with her hopes to have her own professional quartet, teaching at a University is a big possibility. About teaching, Lavena says she has taught some students herself, and found the experience rewarding and also humbling, as any good teacher and musician would.

The mission of the Carlsen Cello Foundation is to make fine cellos available to deserving students who could otherwise not afford them. The Foundation provides high-quality instruments at no cost to students in the intermediate stages of study

Haeyoon Shin with Director who have exhibited Ray Carlsen at the Rainier Club unusual enthusiam and diligence in their work, but who are playing on low-quality rental or student cellos. The Foundation will loan out instruments for a minimum of a year to young cellists selected on the basis of ability, effort, teacher recommedations and financial need.

Carlsen Cello Foundation 1515 116th Ave. NE Suite 202 Bellevue, WA 98004 (425) 455-9945

rcarlsen@carlsencellofoundation.org www.carlsencellofoundation.org