Eight instruments playing together wouldn’t raise an eyebrow in the world of chamber music, but what if all eight of those instruments were cellos? That would be unusual indeed. But this Sunday, March 27, at 3 p.m., Harvard residents will be treated to just such a concert by the cellist octet BoCoCelli in the sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Church at 9 Ayer Road. The musicians are all students at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and the one-hour program will include everything from choral music to Brazilian dance music, as well as premieres of pieces by two Navajo composers.
In an interview with the Press last week, Director Rhonda Rider, who teaches cello and chamber music at the conservatory, said cello octets haven’t been around for very long, but they are becoming more popular. “It’s the culture of the instrument,” she said. “People who play certain instruments have different personalities. Cellists like to do things in groups—we just like each other.” Rider said BoCoCelli, which began over a decade ago, was an offshoot of a summer program she directs at a farm in rural upstate New York where cello students study contemporary ensemble music.
The compositions the group plays are written specifically for four or eight cellos, and Rider said while it’s starting to get easier to find those works, they are still hard to come by. But, she said, part of BoCoCelli’s mission is commissioning and playing works written specifically for the ensemble. The group has already commissioned six pieces during its short existence, including the two pieces that will be premiered at Sunday’s concert.
The musicians of BoCoCelli. (Courtesy photo)
Rider said she hand-picks students for the group. She looks for very good players with a great sense of rhythm, and said they also have to have “a sense of adventure and curiosity because we are going to be doing new works.” She added that not all composers are used to writing for cello, so they may write things that are impossible to play on the instrument. As a result, the musicians will often have to work with composers to change sections of a piece.
One of the things Rider enjoys most about the new music her group plays is that it shows the range of the instrument. Cellos have a six-octave range, which she said is “huge,” allowing sounds as high as those a violin can make and almost as low as those of a double bass. The instrument can also produce different kinds of sounds. For instance, one of the composers featured in Sunday’s performance, Sage Bond, does a lot of heavy metal compositions, and Rider said cellos are capable of creating a “static noise” sound to support that type of music.
Sunday’s program will include two favorites chosen by the students: “Sleep” by Eric Whitacre, a sublime a cappella choral piece arranged for cello octet, and a haunting tango titled “Oblivion” by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. One of the premieres, “Spring” by Michael Begay, has a musical score that includes graphic symbols representing sounds he wants the musicians to produce. Rider said his piece ends with bird calls, which are created by spinning film cans with holes cut in them.
The cellos will be playing in a semicircle for the most part, but for the minimalist piece “In C” by Terry Riley, they will play from different areas in the church to give the audience the sense of surround sound. Rider said the players take turns introducing the pieces and conducting while playing—a practice unique to chamber music. Rider herself will be performing with the group in Harvard because one player is unavailable that day.
BoCoCelli plays a lot of outreach concerts at places such as libraries and retirement communities, but has also performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Earlier this winter the group had the opportunity to play at a recording venue called the Power Station in New York City, a studio that has hosted the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Herbie Hancock.
Rider said what she enjoys most about directing BoCoCelli are the students themselves. “They’re amazing. The spirit that they bring to the group is incredible. They all come from different backgrounds, and they all bring something really special.” And then there’s the sound of the group itself. “We have these individual players and then we have the group; it’s almost like a ninth voice,” she said.
Rider and the students will be available after the concert to talk with audience members or answer questions. Rider said feedback on the show is always welcome. The concert is sponsored by Fivesparks; suggested donation at the door is $20.
