Way back in 1985, I wrote a tricky and fast-moving duo for cello and marimba. It was named, of course, Acellorimba. The performers were Karen Kaderavek and Nancy Zeltsman. You can learn about the piece and hear that first performance here. The premiere was given to a packed house at Sanders Theater on the campus of Harvard
This came during the heyday of my time with Composers in Red Sneakers. Nowadays it’s hard to imagine that a concert of new chamber music could draw a crowd, but Boston was full of ensembles of all sorts and concert-going was part of the fabric of the place. It was hectic: in the space of just a few weeks there were pieces to be composed, rehearsed and premiered. In six weeks, you’d do it all over. The focus, of necessity, was always on the next piece and not the last one. I suppose this was the way it used to be, once upon a time…
I heard from Karen recently to learn that she’s brining Acellorimba back to the stage—this time with marimbist Sebastian Buhts. There will be two performances as part of the Adirondika Pro Musica series, in the beautiful Adirondack region of New York State, nestled right next to Canada If you’re in the area, here’s where you can hear it:
July 6 at 7:30 - Childwold Memorial Presbyterian Church in Childwold NY
July 7 at 7:30 - Adirondack Presbyterian Church in Lake Clear, NY
Other composers on the program are Haydn, Beethoven, Holstein and Mozart. I’m delighted to know this piece will be played by such highly skilled and musical performers.