Cellists prepare for fall recital

Most Jacobs School of Music classes end in the early evening.

However, every Monday from 8 to 10 p.m., cello music still echoes in the halls of the Music Annex.

Eighteen cellists, all students of professor Emilio Colon, come together to rehearse.

The cellists will perform their first recital of the semester at 7 p.m. Nov. 26 at Boxcar Books.

The group includes undergraduate, graduate and doctoral cello students. Even so, they have been able to form a bond, said graduate student Mika Hood, who
belongs to the studio.

“You all have some something in common, because we’re all really passionate about the cello,” Hood said. “You get to be friends really quickly.”

Hood started playing the cello when she was 10 years old. She followed in the footsteps of her siblings, who all played two instruments growing up.

“My mom played me some cello pieces, and I just completely fell in love with the sound,” Hood said. “I instantly knew that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Oklahoma, where she studied with professor Jonathan Ruck.

Ruck completed all three of his degrees at the Jacobs School of Music and introduced Hood to Colon.

Senior Chas Helge is starting his fourth year with Colon.

He started playing cello in kindergarten with the Suzuki Academy’s strings program, and continued playing while growing up in Michigan.

“Music was one of the things I enjoyed doing,” Helge said. “If I wanted to give it a shot, I had to give everything I had now.”

Like most music students, Helge said he dedicates a great deal of time to practicing.
“I would say it’s not only a career choice, but it’s a lifestyle choice,” Helge said. “You’re trying to not only fit in quantity of hours, but quality of hours. You should leave the practice room exhausted.”

Cole Tutino, a doctoral student, completed his undergraduate studies at San Jose State University and received a master’s degree from Jacobs.

Tutino said he always had an interest in music growing up for the cello in particular.

“My grandparents used to take me to orchestra concerts, and there I had my eyes on the cello section,” Tutino said.

When he was in sixth grade, his parents finally agreed to give him cello lessons.

Like many group members, Tutino said he has a deep musical admiration for Colon.

“I like the fire that he brings to every piece of muaally an introverted person, and that comes out in my playing, but he encourages me to really throw myself into the music.”

Helge also chimed in with praise for Colon.
 
“The way in which you approach the cello with the bow, to really sustain sound and support your sound, takes a physical tenacity, which also pervades his entire life,” Helge said. “All the things that he does, he does to the fullest. That kind of passion and dedication is something that is very admirable as a performer, and also as a musician and professional.”

Helge said groups members hope the performance at Boxcar Books, a non-traditional venue, will be more relaxed than a standard concert and encourage more people to attend.

“The idea behind the studio recital is that we haven’t really done this before, but the point is to invite people from outside the classical music realm,” Helge said. “That’s why we’re going to play short pieces and provide a description of what the piece is about.”

At the recital, Colon will have each musician speak about the piece they play and the piece’s composer.

“You can hear a piece of music and think it’s pretty,” Hood said. “But when you know something about it, and something about the composer, then it makes it that much more interesting to you and you’re much more likely to be engaged.”