Cello Suites
By six young cellists
Following on from previous projects for young pianists and violinists, the Bach Society organised a talent development project for young cellists in 2022, in collaboration with the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam and supported by the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation. The young cellists received coaching from Lucia Swarts, cellist with the Bach Society, in several masterclasses and for the recording they made for All of Bach.
Following an application round, the following six candidates were selected:
• Valentijn Jeukendrup
• Sofia Boisvert
• Thijmen Tempelaars
• Mudrė Buckutė
• Arda Naci
• Joshua Hassler-Forest
In two different masterclasses, Lucia Swarts introduced the cellists to Baroque performance techniques and styles. Thanks to the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation, they were able to try out a Baroque bow in the masterclasses. In a third masterclass, given by Lucia Swarts and Bach Society organist Leo van Doeselaar, they studied continuo playing. Coached by Lucia, the cellists each recorded one movement from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3 for All of Bach. The project was rounded off with a lunch concert on Wednesday 26 October 2022, as part of the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam. You can view the complete recording of the Cello Suite No. 3 below.