As 2012 drew to a close, Studio 360 listener Michael Relland resolved to perform his first public cello recital in 2013. In January, we set out to make sure he got it done, and this week, we checked in to see how the preparations are coming.
Michael, a Phoenix-area music teacher, had planned to perform highlights from Bach’s cello suites, perhaps the high bar and the most famous compositions for solo cello. But after spreading his sheet music across his dining table (“I had to put in the leaf,” he notes), he decided to shake things up. “Instead of just Bach suites, I want to do the whole history of the cello from when it started through Bach and then into the more romantic stuff.”
Michael is focused on finding a venue, perhaps a friend’s church, and nailing down a date in the Fall. He’s practicing three to four times a week, in the morning and after school. “It really needs to be relaxed,” he tells Kurt. “If I start to stress out, my hands get tense.”
  
  
  
  
Slideshow: Michael’s Photo Journal