I had the pleasure of participating in WFMT’s cello month, which is planning to broadcast Songs My Father Taught Me on January 31st at 10:00 PM Central Time. Noel Morris published a lovely piece about everything at the WFMT blog, which includes a cello Q&A. Q: How old were you when you started to play? Why did […]
Author Archive | Lynn Harrell
Thank you, Henri.
Henri Dutilleux has died. His work as a musician and composer is, and like Stravinsky, will remain a pinnacle of accomplishment from our time; and given how long his creativity lasted, it is fair to say his achievements span multiple generations. I had the great fortune of working with both of these great men. In […]
Remembering Janos
Sometimes we are caught unawares just how much someone meant to us over the years. While I intended to use a recent opportunity to offer tribute to the great Janos Starker after a performance with the Detroit Symphony this last weekend, it was during the 43 minutes of playing the Dvořák concerto that I began […]
We’ll Paint You A Rainbow
I am so very happy to announce that the HEARTbeats Foundation benefit album that has been in the making for nearly three years has officially been released! Working with so many wonderful colleagues and close friends on a project that has so much personal meaning was an enormously gratifying experience. It’s available now for download […]
Mr. Cello Can See!
I am so humbled that the Wall Street Journal took interest in my Delta airline saga. Recently, one of their reporters, Scott McCartney, wrote an article about not only my ordeal but about how cellists and other musicians are having an increasingly difficult time at some airlines when flying with instruments. As an added bonus to […]
Fare thee well dear friend!
There comes a time in each of our lives when we take stock of our past, present, and future and this is exactly how I’ve spent the past year with one vitally important aspect of my life and career. It is with these thoughts that I have recently decided to part ways with my best […]
In Memory of my friend, James DePreist
There are very few people and musicians with whom I have worked and developed a friendship in the last 50 years as dear as my friendship with James DePreist. For me, he represented the kind of man, warm, giving, caring and honest person that one simply loved being in the presence of. Those rare and […]
No Miles For You!
Rejection is a powerful feeling and one we have all experienced in one form or another but I have to say that I was dumbfounded when I received a Dear John letter from Delta Airlines at the beginning of 2012. Like most rejection letters, it started off with such a polite tone I thought it […]
Songs My Father Taught Me Wins World’s Best Radio Program™ Bronze Award
It’s always extra special to receive great news while on tour so I was pleased and humbled to hear that Songs My Father Taught Me won a Bronze award in the Culture and the Arts Documentary Programs by the esteemed New York Festival® World’s Best Radio Programs™ competition. It was a pleasant surprise in that […]
A New Video Portfolio!
I’m pleased to announce that the site recently underwent an upgrade and they tell me one of the new features is a brand new video portfolio. This means instead of scrolling through all of the videos on one looooong page, you can now browse through the entire lot or narrow down your search by type […]
An Open Letter To The Los Angeles Unified School District
I recently composed and sent the following letter to the Los Angeles Unified School District in response to the proposal that all art and music be eliminated from elementary education. Of course, if you’re here to begin with, you likely know why this is preposterous, regardless of budget demands. But I still felt I should publish my […]
WFMT Artist Of The Year
What an honor it is to be named as one of the five finalists for WFMT’s 2011 artist of the year! You can listen to the segment which will include a special broadcast of a track from the upcoming HEARTbeats album today (Friday, December 30) starting at 4:00pm CT. The station asked me to write […]
New HEARTbeats videos
There’s nothing quite like working with good friends and when I have the chance to combine that with doing charitable work, it makes a good thing great! Several months ago, I had the pleasure of recording a very special arrangement by Randy Kerber of Somewhere Over the Rainbow that featured Christine Brewer and me. And […]
Not one, but TWO terrific things happened today!
My latest album, The Known Unknowns, went on sale today at Amazon and iTunes for its July 26, 2011 release. This has been a very special project for me and my wife, violinist Helen Nightengale, who is also the album’s producer. The album also features the Angeli Resemble, a spectacular group of colleagues and friends. […]
Some Thoughts From The Tchaikovsky Competition
It is a strange experience to be here in Moscow as a judge for the 14th Tchaikovsky Competition, because my last connection with this competition in this city was 50 years ago at the 2nd competition. The former Soviet Union, and at that time the recent shock of Sputnik, was still fresh on our American […]
Songs My Father Taught Me
I’m in Moscow right now as a judge for the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition but I wanted to post a note letting everyone know that today at 4:00pm Central Time, 98.7 WFMT is going to broadcast Song My Father Taught Me, which I’ve been recording with them for the past year. The program looks back […]
The additional photos I promised
I wanted to post a quick note to everyone pointing out that the additional photos from the recording session with the great Jessye Norman are now available at the HEARTbeats website. In addition to seeing Jessye and more of the recording crew, I enjoyed composing a short introduction for the photo gallery that truly sums […]
15 new videos
Just a quick note to everyone pointing out that I posted 15 new videos that are from a recent recital at The Broad Stage, here in LA. They are all available at the video page.
HEARTbeats In Nepal
I recently returned from Nepal where my foundation was working with orphans from the Unatti House and children in Bhaktapur. I also had the pleasure of doing my very first Artist Ambassador program with the Save The Children foundation and I can say that everything was an intensely emotional and gratifying experience. I plan on […]
