"The cellist Joshua Gordon is a find: a precise and poetic artist" Andrew Porter, The New Yorker ______________________________________________________________________________
Joshua Gordon, cello
The cellist Joshua Gordon has won acclaim from audiences, critics, colleagues, and composers for his dramatic music making and rich tone. An experienced soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, orchestra player, and educator, he is the cellist of the Naumburg Award winning Lydian String Quartet, principal cellist of the Boston based New England String Ensemble, and a member of the music faculty of Brandeis University.
JoshJukebox
JoshVideoBox
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Essay before a web site
When I put my left hand on the fingerboard and my bow on a cello string, my goal is to create the sound that best represents the character, context, spirit, and style of what the composer wants at that moment, within that phrase, within the overall dramatic framework of that piece of music. Of course there are other factors as well: unless I'm playing alone, how does my musical character interact with that of my colleagues? Should I be heard over the rest of them at this moment or be subservient or willing to blend? Are we properly matched in our timbre or articulation, or do we not need to be? And then the technical question: what do I need to do to be well positioned for the moment, ready to go to exactly where I have to be on the cello? And of course the all important question, did I remember to eat that protein bar before going out on stage? (Vroom, vroom...)
Every piece of music is its own adventure, and a life spent in music is an adventure for sure. One cannot possibly sum up that adventure (and that of making a living while you're at it) in just one or two paragraphs. But it is a journey worth going on, and it is an equally worthy journey for a listener who may not be as familiar with the music my wonderful colleagues / friends and I play. I hope this site will encourage you to come along. Welcome aboard...
with Varty Manouelian and Cenovia Cummins/violins, Kate Vincent/viola, Rupert Thompson, cello Glazunov: String Quintet in A major, op. 39 ____________________________________________________________
Lydian String Quartet Dvorak: selections from Cypresses, B. 152 Ives: String Quartet No. 1 Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, with Sally Pinkas, piano ____________________________________________________________
Sunday, September 19, 2010, 2:00pm Brunswick, ME | Studzinski Recital Hall, Bowdoin College
Lydian String Quartet, with Rhonda Rider, cello Boccherini: String Quintet in E Major, Op. 13, No. 5 Martin: Pavane Couleur du Temps Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956 ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, September 25, 2010, 7:30pm Worcester, MA | First Baptist Church Sunday, September 26, 2010, 3:00pm Leominster, MA | First Church Unitarian Universalist Church
Worcester Chamber Music Society A. Tcherepnin: Serenade for Flute, Violin, and Cello Tchaikovsky: Souvenir di Florence ____________________________________________________________
Joshua Gordon and Randall Hodgkinson "Passionately Modern: Music For Cello and Piano After World War II" Benjamin Britten: Sonata in C, Op. 60 (1961) Gunther Schuller: Duo Concertante Prokofiev: Sonata in C major, op. 109 ____________________________________________________________
Thursday, October 21, 2010, 4:00pm Hamilton, NY | Colgate University
Lydian String Quartet Chamber Music master class ____________________________________________________________
Friday, October 22, 2010, 8:00pm Hamilton, NY | Colgate University
Lydian String Quartet Ives: String Quartet No. 1 Alejandro Cardona: Quartet No. 5, Historias MÃnimas Harbison / Young: Thanks Victor Dvorak: String Quintet in E flat Major, Op. 97, with Laura Klugherz, viola ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, October 30, 2010, 8:00pm Waltham, MA | Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University
New Music Brandeis ____________________________________________________________
Thursday, November 11, 2010, 7:30 pm Canton, MA | Orchard Cove
Lydian String Quartet Haydn Quartet in E flat major ("The Joke"), Op. 33, No. 2 Fauré: String Quartet, Op. 121 Beethoven: Quartet in F major, Op. 135 ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, November 13, 2010, 2:30 pm Westwood, MA | Fox Hill Village
Lydian String Quartet Haydn Quartet in E flat major ("The Joke"), Op. 33, No. 2 Harbison / Young: Thanks Victor Beethoven: Quartet in F major, Op. 135 ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, December 4, 2010, 3:00pm Wakefield MA | First Parish Congregational Church Sunday, December 5, 2010, 3:00 pm Boston, MA | Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory
New England String Ensemble Leos Janacek:Idyla for Strings Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto in D major, BWV 1054, with Robert Spano, piano Derek Bermel: Soul Garden, with Nadia Sirota, viola Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95 (String Orchestra Version) ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, January 8, 2011, 7:30pm Worcester, MA | First Baptist Church January 9, 2011, 3:00pm Whitinsville, MA | Village Congregational Church
Worcester Chamber Music Society Mark Berger: String Trio No. 2 after T.S. Eliot Schubert: Notturno for Piano Trio Mozart: String Quintet No. 4 in G minor, K. 516 ____________________________________________________________
Sunday, February 13, 2011, 3:00pm Waltham, MA | Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University
Martin Boykan 80th Birthday Celebration Concert ____________________________________________________________
Sunday, February 27, 2011, 4:00pm Boston, MA | Emmanuel Church
Emmanuel Music Beethoven Chamber Series Beethoven: Piano Trio no. 4 in B flat Major, Op. 11 Beethoven: Septet in E flat Major, Op. 20 ____________________________________________________________
Lydian String Quartet, with Rhonda Rider, cello Martin: Pavane Couleur du Temps Boccherini: String Quintet in E Major, Op. 13, No. 5 Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956 ____________________________________________________________
Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 12 noon Waltham, MA | Mandel Center, Brandeis University
Lydian String Quartet, with Rhonda Rider, cello
Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956 ____________________________________________________________
Lydian Quartet 30th anniversary gala concert with Rhonda Rider, cello
Haydn: Quartet in E flat major ("The Joke"), Op. 33, No. 2 Irving Fine: String Quartet (1953)
Martin: Pavane Couleur du Temps
Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956
Tuesday, March 29, 2011, 8:00 pm Easton, MA | Stone Hill College
Lydian String Quartet Haydn Quartet in E flat major ("The Joke"), Op. 33, No. 2 Fauré: String Quartet, Op. 121 Beethoven: Quartet in F major, Op. 135 ____________________________________________________________
Lydian String Quartet Haydn Quartet in E flat major ("The Joke"), Op. 33, No. 2 Fauré: String Quartet, Op. 121 Beethoven: Quartet in F major, Op. 135 ____________________________________________________________
Monday, April 11, 2011, 8:00am Worcester, MA | Burncoat High School / Worcester Arts Magnet School
Worcester Chamber Music Society outreach concert Mozart: Flute Quartet in D major ____________________________________________________________
Apple Hill String Quartet Haydn: String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 76, no. 4 Mozart: String Quintet No. 4 in G minor, K. 516, with Moby Pearson, viola ____________________________________________________________
Wednesday, April 27, 2011, 12 noon Waltham, MA | Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University
Lydian String Quartet
Mohammed Fairouz: Lamentation and Satire Debussy: String Quartet ____________________________________________________________
Lydian String Quartet
Leonard Bernstein: Agathon Vincent Persichetti: Piano Quintet (1952), with Geoffrey Burleson, piano Mohammed Fairouz: Lamentation and Satire Debussy: String Quartet ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, May 7, 2011, 8:00pm Waltham, MA | Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University
New Music Brandeis ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________
Lydian String Quartet Haydn: Quartet in C major, op. 33 no. 3 Shostakovich: Unfinished Quartet Beethoven: Quartet in E flat major, op. 127 ____________________________________________________________
Sunday, November 1, 2009, 11:00am Portsmouth, NH | Temple Israel
with Eva Gruesser and Rohan Smith/violins, Martha Knieriem/viola, Peter Schultz/flute, Mary Watt/oboe Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F major, K. 370 J.S. Bach: Suite no. 2 (Overture) in B minor, BWV 1067 ____________________________________________________________
Lydian String Quartet Mozart: Quartet in E flat major, K. 428 Alejandro Cardona: Quartet No. 5, Historias Mínimas (world premiere) Bartok: Quartet No. 1 ____________________________________________________________
Monday, November 16, 2009, and Friday, November 20, 2009 Southborough, MA | St. Mark's School
Chamber music master classes ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, December 5, 2009, 7:30pm Lawrence MA | Lawrence High School Performing Arts Center Sunday, December 6, 2009, 3:00 pm Boston, MA | Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory
New England String Ensemble Gunther Schuller: Adagio for Strings (Ode to the minor 2nd & major 7th) Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, with Haldan Martinson, violin Toru Takemitsu: Nostalghia - In Memory of Andrei Tarkovskij, for Violin and Strings Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, December 12, 2009, 8:00pm Waltham, MA | Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University
New Music Brandeis ____________________________________________________________
January 23, 2010, 8:00pm Cambridge, MA | Kresge Auditorium, MIT
Boston Chamber Music Society Winter Festival and Forum Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F major, K. 370 Lukas Foss: Time Cycle ____________________________________________________________
Friday, January 29, 2010, 7:30pm Andover MA | Rogers Center For The Arts, Merrimack College Saturday, January 30, 2010, 8:00 pm Boston, MA | Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory
New England String Ensemble Mozart: Adagio and Fugue in C minor, KV. 546 Astor Piazzolla: Las Cuatro Estaciones porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) for Violin and String Orchestra, with Irina Muresanu, violin Luciano Berio: Chemins IV for Soprano Saxophone and String Orchestra, with Dennis Shafer, soprano saxophone Beethoven: Grosse Fugue, op. 133 ____________________________________________________________
Friday, February 5, 2010, 9:00am Waltham, MA | Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University
Lydian String Quartet Music Unites Us immigration program for Waltham public schools ____________________________________________________________
Lydian String Quartet Haydn: Quartet in E Flat, Op. 20, No. 1 Fauré: String Quartet, Op. 121 Thomas Oboe Lee: Morango, Almost a Tango Beethoven: Quartet in E flat major, Op. 127 ____________________________________________________________
Lydian String Quartet Haydn: Quartet in E Flat, Op. 20, No. 1 Fauré: String Quartet, Op. 121 Thomas Oboe Lee: Morango, Almost a Tango Beethoven: Quartet in E flat major, Op. 127 ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, April 17, 2010, 2:00pm Lawrence MA | Lawrence High School Performing Arts Center Saturday, April 17, 2010, 8:00pm Boston, MA | Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory
New England String Ensemble Benjamin Britten: Simple Symphony, op. 4 Vivaldi: Stabat Mater, RV 621, hymn for mezzo-soprano, strings, and continuo in F minor George Benjamin: Upon Silence, for mezzo-soprano and seven strings Sir Michael Tippett: Concerto for Double String Orchestra ____________________________________________________________
Pacific Rim Music Festival Lydian String Quartet collaboration with Contemporary Music Ensemble of Korea Composers to be announced ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, May 8, 2010, 7:30pm Hardwick, MA | Eagle Hill School Saturday, May 15, 2010, 7:30pm Worcester, MA | All Saints Church Sunday, May 16, 2010, 3:00pm Clinton, MA | St. John's the Evangelist Church
Worcester Chamber Music Society Haydn: Quartet in D major, Op. 20, No. 4 Roussel: Trio for flute, viola, and cello Brahms: String Quintet in G major, Op. 111 ____________________________________________________________
Saturday, May 22, 2010, 8:00pm Boston, MA | Goethe Institute Sunday, May 23, 2010, 3:00pm Boston, MA | Goethe Institute
Chameleon Arts Ensemble Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence ____________________________________________________________
