CELLO is one of few internationally known cello quartets in existence, and probably the only all-female group of its kind and stature. The acclaimed ensemble makes an appearance in Hightstown at the Peddie School’s Mount-Burke Theater April 13.
By: Susan Van Dongen
Most people would beg, borrow or steal to get tickets to see Mel Brooks’ smash Broadway hit The Producers, but cellist Laura Bontrager is rather ho-hum about it.
She’s a regular employee with the production, but she’s never actually seen the show which means she hasn’t experienced the "Springtime for Hitler" number where the showgirls wear pretzel bustiers and oversized beer-stein headdresses. Ms. Bontrager knows the music very well, however.
"From my seat in the orchestra pit I can’t see it at all," she says, speaking by phone from her Manhattan apartment, on her way to a matinee performance. "It’s been really fun, though. I’ve been with them for about a year."
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| "Not everyone would think about writing for a cello quartet," says CELLO member Laura Bontrager, far left. "Some composers write for us just to stretch their abilities."
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A sense of playfulness pervades her other main musical occupation, as one-fourth of the cello quartet, CELLO. Along with Stephanie Cummins, Maureen McDermott and new member Julie Albers, it’s one of few internationally known cello quartets in existence, and probably the only all-female group of its kind and stature.
Don’t be mistaken by the chamber music classification, however. CELLO has a reputation for challenging the traditional image of the chamber ensemble. Their concerts are filled with eclectic, hip repertoire that ranges from classical and contemporary music, jazz, ethnic and world music and even some Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles.
The acclaimed ensemble makes an appearance in Hightstown at the Peddie School’s Mount-Burke Theater April 13. The concert includes selections by Claude Debussy, Samuel Barber and George Gershwin, as well as jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie and young American contemporary composers Charlie Bisharat and Mark Weber, who wrote Three Sketches by Georgia O’Keeffe specifically for CELLO.
Many composers hear of or read about CELLO and seek out the group, offering original material. Some have given the quartet music inspired by their homelands. Venezuelan composer Paul Desennes heard the quartet on the radio and gifted them with an original piece that evokes the sound of the rainforest and traditional bamboo pipes.
"We’re still learning this piece he wrote for us," Ms. Bontrager says. "We premiered it last year in Beauvais, France. We have to re-tune the two lower strings of our cellos to give them a deeper sound than the regular pitch. It’s a very reedy sound, and kind of mimics environmental sounds."
In fact, CELLO actively pursues up and coming composers to create new cello quartet repertoire.
"Every year we try to have some things that are new, and some, like this one, take a while to settle in because they’re complicated," Ms. Bontrager says. "Not everyone would think about writing for a cello quartet. Some composers write for us just to stretch their abilities."
Based in New York and founded in 1988 by childhood friends Ms. McDermott and former member Caryl Paisner, CELLO released its eponymous first CD in 1990 on the Pro Arte label. The group made its New York debut at Carnegie Hall in 1991, following that triumph with appearances at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and numerous colleges and universities across the United States. CELLO made its European debut in April 1995 at the International Cello Festival in Beauvais, France, and has been back many times. A second CD, Subliminal Blues and Green (d’Note Classics), came out in 1996, and CELLO has recorded on the Sony Classical label as well.
Although someone in their management initially gave them a "come hither" look with the women posing in black cocktail dresses for their publicity shots CELLO shrugged off their seductive packaging. Now they look smart, casual and hip. The women are probably in great shape from lugging around their huge-but-beloved instruments.
"When we come out we introduce our cellos to the audience," Ms. Bontrager says. "They’re all different colors, which pretty much reflects us because we all have our own way of playing."
One of the most common questions Ms. Bontrager gets is whether there is a lead player in the quartet, like there would be in many string quartets. But there is no first cello in CELLO.
"We’re a democracy," she says. "When we come across a new piece, we play it and see how it feels. One of us will say, ‘This is right up my alley. Can I have the first part?’ Some people like the classically oriented pieces, some of us prefer the more adventurous music. I tend to play (lead) with the contemporary pieces, because that’s more reflective of my background. I played a lot of 20th century music at Juilliard because they have a big contemporary program."
When asked if she would classify the group along the same lines as the quirky Turtle Island String Quartet or the Kronos Quartet, Ms. Bontrager reflects that all three groups have a similar eclecticism, branching out into rock, jazz and world music.
"We have a tremendous amount of versatility and it’s all pretty friendly and enjoyable," she says.
"We really like it when young people who are just learning the instrument come to a concert and hear the different styles of music we do. It’s really eye-opening to see what the cello can do."
CELLO performs at the Mount-Burke Theater, the Peddie School, South Main Street, Hightstown, April 13, 8
p.m. Tickets cost $20. A workshop with CELLO takes place in the choral room of the Swig Arts Center,
April 13, 5 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (609) 490-7550. On the Web: www.peddie.org/capps