I will be picking up the cello in Waltham, MA on December 26th. We’ll be visiting my dad and Megan’s family along the route and trying our best not to carry this bastard of a virus along with us. We’re well stocked up on rapid-tests and we just took PCR tests in anticipation of leaving on Wednesday, so at least we will be doing our best to know if we are carrying anything. We decided to drive instead of flying and I am not looking forward to the interstate much, but there is also something alluring about a road trip and it gives me a chance to bring my bike and sneak in some extra mileage before the year is over. If any readers are on Zwift and want to go for a digital bike ride with me some time, let me know.

Commissioning an instrument from Michele is an idea I have toyed with since 2009 when I was at Eastman and I nearly bought one of her Gofriller model cellos. As has been explored in some earlier posts, I ended up with something different. I never forgot about Michele’s cellos, but life kept getting in the way of making the commission I wanted to make.

In a sense attempting to purchase a new cello during a pandemic was a risky venture given that in the early days it was not clear when we would return to concerts. It’s hard to believe now that I spent an entire year teaching on Zoom since almost all of my students now come to my house for lessons. How amazing that we have a vaccine available. When I commissioned the cello in November of 2020, I was not yet vaccinated. It wasn’t even clear to me if a vaccine would be available. In retrospect, this might’ve been an odd time to pull the trigger, but I spent so much time sitting with my instrument over the past two years and if the pandemic has elicited any kind of response from me, it has been a whittling-away of my desire to procrastinate. Life is too short not to go after the things that you want. I wanted and needed a new cello and I happened to know which one I wanted, so here we are. I feel pretty good about this success. There are many unknowns still, but if I had procrastinated, unknowns would still exist and I would be older, with regret.

It feels a little surreal that this project has reached this stage. I have said in earlier posts how lucky I have been to play on several amazing and different cellos this year from a William Whedbee with a one-piece maple back to a powerful David Folland cello which is now in the hands of a former student, to a German Shop cello which turned out to be much more of a match than I expected, to a gorgeous copy of the 1726 ‘Comte de Saveuse’ Stradivari made by my friend Alejandro Puig. I have been spoiled and blessed and all of this cello dating has led me to my self-selected arranged marriage with my Ashley cello.

Well, there will be so much more to share and to say about this. I’m not sure how Omicron will develop here and if I will be able to play concerts in the new year with it. I assume I will, but I don’t take it for granted. Whatever the professional outlook, playing it and listening to it develop will give me great pleasure. Thank you to everyone who has donated. I could not have done this without you.