KJ: There was great response to your solo cello performance at last year's All-WCM faculty concert. I'm excited to present you in a solo cello concert this season. Let's give a peek into your background and musical process. First, how did you come to choose cello as your musical voice?
DC: I began learning the piano when I was five years old, switched to violin at six and finally to cello at seven. My mother is a concert pianist, and my grandfather actually founded Young Chang piano with his twin brother in the 1950's. My older sister played violin so cello seemed to be the natural choice for me. My mother had aspirations of us one day playing as a piano trio, which never really ended up happening! But in the end, I think cello suited me well.
KJ: Did your time in Spain as a Fulbright Scholar change your playing in any way?
DC: Absolutely! Living in another country so different from your own completely changes you. It forces you to adapt and to approach people and life in a different way. I believe that my travel and life experiences have directly affected my playing and maturity as an artist. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the Fulbright experience and to have studied with Lluís Claret, renowned cellist and godson of Pablo Casals. I first played for him as a graduate student at the New England Conservatory and from those 30 minutes I spent with him, I immediately knew that he was exactly the teacher I needed at that time in my studies. He helped me to change many aspects of my playing, and I grew so much in the two years I spent in Barcelona.
KJ: What is different about playing a solo cello concert, compared to a cello/piano concert?
DC: Both are difficult but playing a solo concert presents a different kind of challenge. You have to become completely vulnerable and you have NOTHING to hide behind. It has challenged me as a cellist in a new way - when you play in a larger group, you can get away with a lot more things. When you're solo, it really makes you work to make every note sound beautiful and convicting.
KJ: How did you go about choosing repertoire for this solo cello concert?
DC: After I played at the WCM faculty concert last year, some people mentioned, "Wow I never knew the cello could make those kinds of sounds!" It is not so common to attend a solo cello recital so I chose pieces that would highlight different sounds and styles on the cello.
The Bach and Britten are two pieces I'm playing side by side with no interruption. They're two preludes and fugues written nearly 200 years apart but incredibly gorgeous in their own way. I absolutely love Kaija Saariaho's Sept Papillons. It's so unique in its sound with its use of harmonics and allows the listener to transcend and forget they are listening to a cello.
Dan Visconti is also a very exciting composer, a composer of today. His piece "Hard Knock Stomp" incorporates themes of jazz and blues and it's simply a lot of fun to play.
KJ: What have been your main musical influences?
DC: I grew up listening to the great cello masters like Rostropovich, Jacqueline Du Pre, Casals, Yo Yo Ma. I absolutely love listening to Steven Isserlis (pretty much anything, but especially on Schumann) and the French cellist Jean Guihen Queyras.
KJ: How does teaching cello affect your own playing?
DC: Some musicians dislike teaching. I personally love it. I get such gratification when I see my students improve and get excited about the music. I also find it a way to examine what I'm doing and why I do it. I didn't decide to pursue music as a profession until I was a senior in high school, which is late by some standards. So in a sense, I had a lot of catching up to do. But it made me work and really think about how to do certain things. I often find myself challenged by the things I'm telling my students. Something simple as "practice slowly!" seems easy enough but sometimes I just have to stop and tell myself, "practice slowly!" Practice what you preach. Easier said than done.
KJ: You do lots of community outreach with your group Sound Impact. Tell me about that.
DC: The whole premise of starting Sound Impact (
www.thesoundimpact.org) was to use music in a bigger way. We are about bringing music to underserved communities and empowering people through the music. Last year we toured Costa Rica where we connected with hundreds of young students - performing masterclasses and concerts at SINEM schools across the country. SINEM is the national music education program in Costa Rica, based off Venezuela's El Sistema model, and it's free and open to all children. It was truly amazing to witness the enthusiasm of these kids and to see them grow and be inspired in such a short amount of time. I believe in the power of music to ignite change. We are currently planning our return trip to Costa Rica in August 2015, and it's very exciting!
