Cello

When most cellists name their favorite cello-and-orchestra work, they usually don't mention the demonstrative, audience-pleasing concerto by Antonin Dvorak, but the inward-looking one of Robert Schumann. This piece requires an interpreter who can draw from a deep well of fantasy and who is fearless emotionally.To those familiar with her playing, Gita Roche seems like a good bet to match Schumann's challenges. The popular young cellist will perform the work with conductor Ann Harrigan and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra on Wednesday.

From Michael Cross-Barnet: Show of hands, please: How many of you progressive-minded parents out there think it's OK to force a child to take music lessons against his or her will? I'm guessing not too many. Maybe 10 or 15 percent? OK, let's add a few nuances. What if the kid is good - really good? What if the lessons in question are not only high quality, but free? Now, here's the kicker, and this will bring a glimmer of recognition in more than a few readers: What if the child in question is one who rarely, if ever, is willing to try new things without prompting?

The following are highlights of the International Cello Festival. All events will be held in Towson State University's Fine Arts Concert Hall, located at Osler and Cross Campus drives.* Feb. 19, 9-11 a.m. Master class by Semyon Fridman. Free.* March 6, 7:30 p.m. Music from Russia and Eastern Europe performed by Ryszard Bednarczuk, Rafal Kwiatkowski, Kiril Kalmykov and Pei Lu. Fine Arts Concert Hall. Tickets: $3.* March 12, 1-3 p.m. Master class by Evelyn Elsing. Free.* March 12, 7:30 p.m. Sonatas by Debussy, Britten and Schnittke, performed by cellist Evelyn Elsing and pianist Thomas Schumacher.

The UU Chalice Concert Series presents cellist Steven Doane, accompanied by pianist Michael Adcock, at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way. Tickets are $20; $12 for students. Call 410-381-0097 for directions and more information.

The scherzo of Shostakovich's Cello Sonata is as fearsome as music for that instrument gets. Within the raucous, drunken, dance-of-death confines of this movement, the cellist must play a series of eerie harmonics in which the left hand moves up and down the fingerboard at something like the speed of light, while the bow arm must move just as quickly, hitting the treacherously positioned notes with just the right amount of pressure.In her cello recital last night in Friedberg Hall, Sharon Robinson sounded as if she were not in the least intimidated by this passage.

If the name Pieter Wispelwey doesn't ring a bell, it should - loudly and clearly - after you catch his recital for the Shriver Hall Concert Series this weekend. The Dutch cellist has emerged over the past decade or so as an unusually imaginative artist, forever rethinking music of the past and happily, incisively exploring the music of today. Wispelwey will tackle all five of Beethoven's cello sonatas in this visit, accompanied by pianist Dejan Lazic. It's a great opportunity to dig into a major portion of the cello repertoire, with a telling guide leading the way. The sonatas provide effective mileposts for various points in Beethoven's creative life, from his early, new-kid-on-the-block days to his years of anguish over deafness and other personal problems.

If some instrument makers are like purebred dogs, James Cox is one scrappy mutt.He's the kind of maker who studies suspension bridges so that his cellos can withstand greater tension and give greater power; he deliberately crossbreeds different types of 18th-century models, mixing the classic purity of Stradivariuses with the gritty power of Montagnanas; and he uses the American wood that many of his rivals disdain."

It's Musical Fringe Week in Baltimore. New music for cello and electronics filled Peabody Conservatory's Griswold Hall Tuesday night, concluding with a large dose of improvisation. It made a fortuitous, if coincidental, lead-in to High Zero - a four-day festival devoted exclusively to "experimental improvised music" opening tonight. Tuesday's event, presented by the Peabody Computer Music Consort, offered an intermittently engaging sample of what's happening on the non-pop side of techno music.

Two of the most mellow and sensual instruments in classical music are the guitar and the cello. Both will be featured this weekend in a concert presented by the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society and again next month presented by the Music in the Great Hall series. Paul Moeller, an elegant player who studied at Peabody Conservatory with Manuel Barrueco, has earned several competition awards in recent years and is carving out a promising solo career. He shares the stage with his talented wife, cellist Kerena Moeller, who has her own solid solo credentials.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma returned to Meyerhoff Hall last night for a reprise of the concerto the late Stephen Albert wrote for him three years ago.Albert, who died in an automobile crash in December, was one of our best and most honest composers. Though there are nods in the directions of other pieces from other times -- late Romantic concertos in the first and third movements, a little Shostakovich in the skittish second movement and some middle-period Stravinsky in the final one -- there is not a cheap note in this piece.

Mstislav Rostropovich, the late, idolized cellist, summed up the talent of his student Wendy Warner as "a gift from God." And when an 18-year-old Warner won the Fourth International Rostropovich Competition in Paris in 1990, one of the jurors, Frans Helmerson, said, "Everything that is basic to cello playing she already has, plus a natural stage presence that you very rarely find. At this age, she's unbelievable." That competition victory launched Warner's career, which soon included performances all over this country and abroad, many of them with orchestras conducted by Rostropovich.

His teachers recalled Matthew Sam Young for his wry sense of humor, his ability to master the cello and cross-country running, but most of all for his intelligence and ability to write. Mary Abigail Young was known for making her own way as the youngest of four children, full of confidence and with a knack for making those around her happy. Services for the brother and sister, whose lives were claimed by a fire at their Roland Park home, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Second Presbyterian Church, 4200 St. Paul St. Matthew, who was 16, died Saturday at Sinai Hospital.

Rasputina, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based chamber-rock trio that fuses classical instruments with rock music, will rock The Ottobar on Wednesday night. "It's easier to think of what isn't unique about Rasputina. We're a group of musicians that perform and record," says founder Melora Creager. She says the power trio's music, appearance and ideas are what's unique. The group, which consists of two cellists and a drummer, has been touring since early July to promote its new CD, Oh, Perilous World, which came out in June.

Allen Klevens and Jason Shapiro don't spin vinyl at parties or nightclubs, but they might just be the ultimate DJs. If you've checked into a Marriott recently, eaten at Wolfgang Puck's Cut or gotten a facial at Spa Nordstrom, you've probably heard their mixes. It's a science, said Klevens, a former musician who started his Prescriptive Music business by compiling and peddling soothing CDs for surgeons to play in operating rooms. Today, Klevens and Shapiro help hotels and restaurants create a vibe.

Hometown -- Baltimore Current members --Patricia Blanchard, cello, vocals; K.B. Blankson, bass, percussion and vocals; Alex Champagne, guitars, vocals and harmonica; Gena Smith, guitars, banjo and mandolin Founded in --2005 Style --indie pop folk Influenced by --Led Zeppelin, Johann Sebastian Bach, Neutral Milk Hotel, Iron and Wine Notable --Here Comes Another Melody, the group's first full-length CD, is full of organic, acoustic sounds. Champagne was the principal songwriter and wrote some of the cello lines on his guitar.

Victoria Hazel Perkins, who taught music in Baltimore County public schools for 31 years, died of colon cancer Friday at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. The Lutherville resident was 58. Born in Baltimore and raised in the Hamilton section, she was a 1966 graduate of Eastern High School and earned her bachelor's degree in cello and music education from the Peabody Conservatory in 1970. She later earned a master's degree in music education from what is now Towson University. Miss Perkins taught instrumental music and spent most of her career at what is now Catonsville Middle School until retiring in 2000 because of failing health.

THE CELLO, born in the 16th century, formally known as the violoncello, once called the bass violin, made famous by the likes of J.S. Bach, Luigi Boccherini, Pablo Casals and Janos Starker, has a lovelier tone today than when George Bernard Shaw felt "I would rather listen to a bumblebee in a bottle."Cellos used to be more scratchy, but the 20th century brought steel-covered strings, other high-tech parts and more refined techniques. It also brought more fine women players such as Jacqueline du Pre and Zara Nelsova; for much of its history the instrument held between the knees was considered unladylike to play.

A WEEK AGO Sunday in New York, Janos Starker began recording three Martinu solo cello sonatas with pianist Rudolf Firkusny. Wednesday he flew to Bloomington, Ind., where he teaches, for an Indiana University dinner. Thursday he was back in New York finishing the sonatas and Friday he was home in Bloomington teaching his cello students. Tomorrow, he's in Baltimore, and next week, four recitals in California.Little wonder when asked when he plans to retire, Starker jokes, "Every teacher on Friday wants to retire."

Concert Chamber Players The Towson Chamber Players perform classical music such as Francois Francoeur's five-movement Sonata for Piano and Cello and Maurice Ravel's Chansons Madecasses at 7:30 p.m. at Towson University, Cen ter for the Fine Arts, Cross Campus and Olser drives. $13 for general admission, $7 for seniors, $5 for students. 410-704-2787 or towson.edu/centerfor thearts.

Street Beat Festival You can't beat the price of admission to the Street Beat Festival in Federal Hill Sunday. The huge outdoor festival, with 17 bands performing on three stages, vendor booths with arts, crafts and antiques, and a kids area with interactive games and art projects, is free. Groups include the Eric Lindell Band, the Pietasters, the Grilled Lincolns, Kustom Blend, Pookie Bell Band, Blues Therapy, the Cheaters, the Weekapaug Orchestra and the Kelly Bell Band. Food from area restaurants will be available.