Lynn Harrell
Lynn Harrell | |
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RCA Red Seal | |
Website | lynnharrell.com |
Lynn Harrell (January 30, 1944 – April 27, 2020) was an American classical cellist. Known for the "penetrating richness" of his sound,[1] Harrell performed internationally as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with major orchestras over a career spanning nearly six decades.[2]
Harrell was the winner of the inaugural
Biography
Early life
Harrell was born on January 30, 1944, to musician parents in Manhattan, New York City: his father was the
After attending Denton High School, Harrell studied at the
In 1960, when Harrell was 15, his father died of cancer.
Just before his mother died, in April 1962, Harrell had withdrawn from Denton High School in his junior year to advance to the semifinals of the Second International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.[9][4]
After losing his mother, as Harrell put it, "I moved around to different family friends' houses with my one suitcase and cello until [after] I was 18, when I joined the Cleveland Orchestra. In part, I got that job because [its conductor] George Szell knew my father through their collaboration at the Metropolitan Opera." Harrell was the principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1964 to 1971.[10][4]
Professional career
Harrell made his recital debut in New York in 1971,
Harrell previously played a 1720
From 1985 to 1993 he held the International Chair for Cello Studies at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London and in 1993 he became Principal of the RAM, a post he held until 1995.[15]
On April 7, 1994, he appeared at the Vatican with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gilbert Levine in the Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah. The audience for this historic event, which was the Holy See's first official commemoration of the Holocaust, included Pope John Paul II and the Chief Rabbi of Rome.[16]
External audio | |
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You may hear Lynn Harrell with Franz Joseph Haydn's: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major in 1983 Here on Archive.org |
In 2001, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra established the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition in his honor. The competition is open to string players and pianists, ages 8 to 18, from Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.[6]
Death
Harrell died at his home in Santa Monica, California, on April 27, 2020, at the age of 76.[4][3][17] According to his wife Helen Nightengale, he died suddenly, probably by cardiac arrest.[18]
Personal life
Harrell had twin children from his first marriage to the journalist and writer Linda Blandford, whom he married in 1976[4] —Kate, an actress and yoga teacher, and Eben, a journalist, both of whom live and work in London.[11]
In 2002, he married violinist Helen Nightengale, a former student; the couple had two children, Hanna and Noah.[4] Harrell and Nightengale also founded HEARTbeats, which "strives to help children in need harness the power of music to better cope with, and recover from, the extreme challenges of poverty and conflict."[19][20][5]
Harrell seldom trusted his instruments to airline baggage handlers and in 2012 he achieved a certain amount of notoriety when Delta Air Lines kicked him out of its frequent-flier program for registering and traveling with his cello, which had been enrolled as “Mr. Cello Harrell.”[4] However, in May 2001 Harrell forgot his cello when leaving a taxicab. The cab driver turned it in, and it was returned unscathed.[21]
Awards
- Piatigorsky Award[22]
- Ford Foundation Concert Artists' Award[10]
- The inaugural Avery Fisher Prize (jointly with Murray Perahia)[23]
- Grammy Awards for Best Chamber Music Performance:[4]
- 1988)
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lynn Harrell & Itzhak Perlman for 1982)[23]
References
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ a b Tommasini, Anthony (May 1, 2020). "Lynn Harrell, Acclaimed American Cellist, Is Dead at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Page, Tim (29 April 2020). "Lynn Harrell, cello luminary, dies at 76". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ a b Tsioulcas, Anastasia (28 April 2020). "Cellist Lynn Harrell Has Died, Age 76". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ a b "Renowned cellist Lynn Harrell, with Dallas roots, dies at age 76". Dallas News. 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ "Carnegie Hall". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
We remember cellist Lynn Harrell, who made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1961 as part of a New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert at the age of 17.
- Dallas Morning News, November 4, 1962, Sec 1, pg. 16
- ^ Dentonite in Music Finals, Denton Record-Chronicle, April 9, 1962, pg. 1
- ^ a b "ICS Featured Artist: CONVERSATION WITH LYNN HARRELL". www.cello.org. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ a b c "Lynn Harrell Interview with Bruce Duffie . . . . . . . . ". www.bruceduffie.com. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Dooley, Tara; Chronicle, Copyright 2009 Houston (2009-04-12). "Rice cellist Lynn Harrell ready for his swan song". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "The cellist Lynn Harrell has died". Gramophone. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Bernas, Richard, and Dennis K. McIntire. "Lynn Harrell". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) (subscription required) - ^ "Columbia Artists - Lynn Harrell". columbia-artists.netlify.com. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Warnock, Caroline (2020-04-28). "Lynn Harrell Dead: American Cellist Dies at 76". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
- ^ "Music from the HEART: Helen Nightengale and Lynn Harrell work to alleviate poverty". al. 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ "Five things that make Lynn Harrell the most interesting world-class cellist". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Tim Janof, ed. (2001). "Another taxi incident". Internet Cello Society Newsletter, Tutti Celli. pp. vol. 7, issue 4. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
- ^ "Lynn Harrell, cello". www.phillipscollection.org. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ a b "Lynn Harrell". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
External links
- Conversation with Lynn Harrell
- Interview with Lynn Harrell, March 5, 1998
- Lynn Harrell discography at Discogs