Author: Emily Wright

Thoracic Outlet Update

Thoracic Outlet Update

Posted by | Oct 27, 2016 | , | 3 |

Thoracic outlet syndrome is complicated. It can be caused by any number of things, from trauma (like a car accident or fall) to genetic predisposition to, as is my case, a subtle accumulation of overuse injuries that led to a cascade of malfunction in the structures of my torso, and later, all the way down my body. One of the tricky things about TOS is the referred pain- burning, shocking, aching, tingling sensations that are felt one place, but are actually manifestations of problems somewhere else. To make it even more complicated, when a muscle is held with too...

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Retreat email list and quickie update!

Posted by | Oct 19, 2016 | , | 1 |

If you are interested in this (or future retreats), please subscribe to the mailing list (halfway down the main blog page) or send me an email, and I’ll add you- so you can be kept in the loop and we can get this thing scheduled! As for timing, I’m waiting on Wellbourne for final available dates, but it will be sometime in January, February, or March. February holds the most risk of cancellation and travel complications due to snow. It rarely happens, in the area, but the DC Metro region is uniquely underprepared for even an inch of snow on the ground. The session will run from a Thursday late afternoon through Sunday mid-afternoon. Each day will consist of breakfast, a brief morning seminar, individual lessons, a break for lunch, a few more lessons, time for practice, a brief evening seminar, and then a lovely dinner together. Sound good? Sign up! I promise I won’t email all the time or try and sell things....

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Wellbourne Cello Retreat!

Wellbourne Cello Retreat!

Posted by | Oct 17, 2016 | , | 2 |

  About an hour south of Washington, DC, nestled between acres of rolling farmland and a two-block colonial downtown area is the Wellbourne Inn. An old farmhouse that has, since the 1770s, been lived in, added onto, loved and adored by the thousands who visit it each year. And now it’s our turn! While the dates are still up in the air, I’d like to get some information to help me curate the retreat, mostly about what your priorities are, how much single or double occupancy rooms matter, food choices, all that good stuff. It’s going to be just...

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advance and retreat

advance and retreat

Posted by | Oct 8, 2016 | , , , | 2 |

A few people have contacted me either here or on social media to ask what’s up with my arm- I’ve been posting pictures from rehab and expressing frustration with the various setbacks. I’d intended to make the “long and winding road” posts an informative explanation, but kind of ran out of steam- they weren’t read much, and each one left me tired and a bit sad afterward. I’ll probably finish them, but for now, here’s what you should know. I am ABSOLUTELY still taking students. I am ABSOLUTELY not taking ongoing gigs. My arm was getting better in MN,...

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Non cellists you should listen to more

Posted by | Sep 17, 2016 | , | 2 |

It’s easy to get lost in the struggle to be an excellent cellist. We take lessons, go to concerts and master classes, listen to recordings, flail away in the practice room. Remember that in the end, the cello is vehicle for music. So the real goal is to be a fine musician. Wind players and singers have to breathe and be intentional with their volume and phrasing: details string players can easily plow through because we can (and do) just saw back and forth until the music runs out. With this in mind, make sure you’re not limiting your lexicon to cellists alone. Here are some of my favorite examples of people taking great care of the music; listen to how they curate their notes. None of this is by accident- you have to decide, deliberately, to make music this strong. Holy smokes, Ruth Ziesak. Sarah Vaughan is known as a singer who phrases like an instrumentalist. The notes begin and end when she chooses, which takes so much care and attention. Yes, I’m using present tense. She lives on in these recordings. Milt Jackson, playing with time and feel. Eric Dolphy, paying tribute to his friend John Coltrane, two artists known for lack of affectation and unadorned directness of sound. This is key for advancing cellists to remember, as half the tricks up our sleeve (vibrato, tapered note shapes,...

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