UW-Whitewater Departments of Music, Art and Design and Continuing Education
(WHITEWATER, WIS.)— The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is planning a September filled with Bach, cellos and oil painting. Continuing Education and Professor Benjamin Whitcomb are moving Cello Fest Clinic outdoors on Sunday, September 13. This event is available to all ages from middle school to adult, with a maximum of 75 registrants, focusing on the Bach suites. Later in the month cellist and department of music professor Whitcomb will collaborate with Bethann Moran Handzlik, department of art and design lecturer, who will oil paint. The collaboration is called “Bach Suites for Cello: A Relational Performance Aural and Visual”. The 90 minute event will be performed twice the first on September 18 outdoors at the James R. Connor University Center and the second on September 22 in the Nature Preserve with a rain date of September 24.
Cello Fest Clinic is accepting registrations online until noon on September 7, 2020. Cello Fest Clinic begins with registration from 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. and then runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. with a performance at 4:00 p.m. The repertoire for the day focuses on Bach suites, but if students have worked on one or more movements, or a Bach etude that is also something to bring to work on. Participants will have individual coaching and a masterclass on the unaccompanied music they are working on along with time to practice them.
Whitcomb will present a session on the Bach suites, including how they are structured and various aspects of performance practice. A similar presentation will be given on some famous etudes and how to get the most out of them. A reading session will acquaint participants with additional repertoire for unaccompanied cello. The final concert will consist of unaccompanied repertoire. Find out more about Cello Fest Clinic.
The other Bach related events are unique collaborations between cellist Benjamin Whitcomb and painter Bethann Moran Handzlik, Whitcomb will perform the “Bach Suites for Cello” and Handzlik will respond to the music by painting. This allows for both a musical and visual interpretation of the Bach Cello suite. The first collaborative called “Bach Suites for Cello: A Relational Performance Aural and Visual” will be performed outdoors at the James R. Connor University Center, September 18 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. and the second on September 22 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. in the Nature Preserve, with a rain date of September 24 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. The Nature Preserve is next to Perkins Stadium and runs along West Schwager Drive and Fremont Road.
These two events are great opportunities to learn more about the Bach Suites and how they inspire musicians and artists alike.
