Orlando Cole and me during a masterclass at Curtis in the mid-80s. My sincere thanks to Curtis Institute of Music for providing this photo.
Today, my great mentor, teacher, and colleague, Orlando Cole died peacefully after saying to his nurse, “Well, I’m ready.” “God will come for you in His time,” said his nurse to whom Landy softly replied, “Well, tell Him to hurry.”
Lucid to the end with family by his side they listened to Schubert’s Cello Quintet. He was, even in the end, an inspiration to us all; as human beings, as musicians, and as vibrant spirits.
In my own life, I never met anyone so understanding, generous, and vitally connected to his love of music, family, friends, and his students. I am deeply indebted to his quality as an artist as well as his awe of the great works that we are privileged to play and hear. He was one of a kind and over the course of his wonderfully long and full life; he witnessed so much change since starting out as a young cellist in the late 1920’s.
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Welcome to my blog. I am a 67 year old solo cellist who has been touring the world for the last 40 years playing almost everywhere of note in the classical music scene alongside many of the greatest musicians. Over all these years, I have accumulated many stories, opinions, and insights, and gifts of the spirit as well as objects. It has been and still is incredibly inspiring work and even though I consider myself “techno-challenged” I wanted to have an outlet to share everything.
