Northwest BachFest to be a real cello-bration

It’s a cello-bration! and a first for Sandpoint.

A 2017 Triple Grammy Award-winning cellist, and considered one of the premiere cellists in the world, Zuill Bailey, is coming to town next Wednesday, Aug. 29. Presented by Spokane’s Northwest BachFest, in cooperation with the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, it will be a one-of-a-kind concert to be performed at 7 p.m. at the Heartwood Center.

Zuill Bailey, with his rare combination of celebrated artistry, technical wizardry and engaging personality has secured his place as one of the most sought after and active cellists today. A top recording artist, Bailey is artistic director of music festivals in Texas, Alaska and Arizona, as well as artistic director of the Spokane Northwest BachFest. In Sandpoint, he will be performing with three other remarkable cellists: Dr. Melissa Kraut, who teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and young, rising cello stars, Cicely Parnas and Jared Blajian. This first appearance of Northwest BachFest, as part of their Summer Classics tour, will be intimate, lyrical, and truly a celebration of the cello, the instrument that people say is the closest to the human voice.

Zuill Bailey became artistic director of Northwest BachFest in 2014 after Gunther Schuller retired from that position the year prior. Schuller was the former, longstanding artistic director of the Festival at Sandpoint, and for five years he assumed both of these festival positions. Schuller suggested bringing Zuill Bailey to Northwest BachFest and in 2012 Bailey performed three of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites — except for the preludes, the dances of their time and written in 1717 — to a mesmerized audience. The rest, as they say, is history.

Sandpoint cellist Jim Flocchini experienced Zuill the following year where he performed all six suites — 36 movements, including the 10-minute-long Allemande of the Sixth. Imagine solo playing without sheet music for over two hours. The only other artist Flocchini knows who has done that in a single concert is Yo-Yo Ma. Bailey’s technical artistry and engaging passion elevated the experience for Flocchini, whose daughter Elena, 9-years-old at the time, was with him for the performance at St. John’s Cathedral in Spokane. Bailey performed acoustically without amplification in the nave of the church.

“He’s just eloquent and a master of the instrument,” says Flocchini. “He makes it just sing incredibly beautifully. The fact that he’ll be here in (Sandpoint) Idaho is amazing. We are so lucky.”

Part of that Zuill Bailey magic is his cello made in 1693 when J.S. Bach was 8 years old. This Mateo Gofriller cello came to Bailey from the former cellist of the Budapest String Quartet, and it is as much of a star as he is, with its amazing resonance and deep register that strongly connects with the audience.

“It’s the only instrument that you can actually embrace,” says Bailey, “Its vibrations are felt in your heart and chest.” Bailey’s favorite of the Bach Cello Suites is Suite No. 2, especially the slow Spanish dance, the Sarabande. He says it was banned in Bach’s lifetime as being too slow and too sensual to dance to. Romance truly comes through the music.

The music for the event, chosen by Zuill Bailey, will likely include Bach, as well as other composers from Couperin to Elgar to Fauré.

Doors open at 6 p.m. with the Pend d’Oreille Winery providing wine, sold by the bottle or the glass, prior to the concert, with proceeds going to the conservatory. Seats are limited because they will be set up differently than is typical at the Heartwood, with cellists sitting against the windows and rows of seats arced around them, with additional seats available on stage. Tickets are $30 and students $15 and available at brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

In addition to the concert, since Zuill Bailey believes in taking music to the people, where they need it and want it, but maybe can’t get to it at this level of proficiency, he and his fellow cellists will be doing a special educational event the following morning, Aug. 30, at the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, 110 Main St., Sandpoint. Beginning at 10:30 a.m., it’s free, and anyone wanting to learn from a master is welcomed to attend and join the students of the MCS Chamber Orchestra, including cellist Elena Flocchini, now 15, who took up the cello three years ago. She recalls hearing Bailey play Bach years before.

“I was kind of blown away by how amazing his cello playing was,” says Flocchini. “The quality, and I remember really liking it.” Being one of the student cellists at the school to participate in the Cello-bration Educational Event, she’s nervous, but “super excited.”

“He’s one of the greatest cello players in the world, and maybe I can learn from him,” she says.

Whether the event’s participants study music or not, they will learn about fine music, concert-attendance tips, and ways to experience music. Zuill Bailey’s engaging personality and deep love of music captivates his young audiences. He has been playing cello since he was a small child, nurtured and supported by his music educator parents, as well as educated by prestigious instructors at Peabody and Julliard, and it speaks volumes to his vision of the importance of both experiencing music and music education. It’s only natural that the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint will be there to host him that morning after the concert.

“Everything that I’ve read about Zuill and his educational focus,” says Kathi Samuels, board president of MCS, “aligns with our school’s goals for impacting the youth of our town.” This fact only confirms the rumor going around town that their will be yet another Northwest BachFest free event later that day, as well. Samuels adds, “It’s so much like Zuill to do that. Like he says, the music of the past brings meaning to the present. So he takes it to the people whenever he can.”