The Cello — Perennial Star of Chesapeake Music’s Chamber Music Festival

By James Carder

If the violin can be considered the “heart” of the chamber music ensemble, then the cello must be considered its “soul.” And for good reason. Although the cello is often tasked with providing a composition’s bass line or anchoring the piece rhythmically, more often than not the cello can be a work’s soulful, lyrical star. The cello’s range is vast, spanning over four octaves, and when given the opportunity to carry the melody, the cello delivers with an intimacy that feels like it is speaking directly to you. Moreover, it resonates. Resting on the floor, the cello vibrates the floorboards and thereby the room. One feels the cello as well as hears it.

For 41 years Chesapeake Music in Easton, Maryland has given Eastern Shore audiences outstanding chamber music concerts performed by world-class musicians. And from its inception, the cello has been a stand-out feature of these concerts, thanks to founder, artistic director and virtuoso cellist Marcy Rosen. Widely regarded as a premier figure in the world of chamber music, she has been lauded by the Los Angeles Times as one of chamber music’s “abiding treasures” and by The New Yorker as a “legend of the cello.” Her cello has an incredible warm, woody sound that becomes beautifully nuanced and luminous in Marcy Rosen’s hands. Marcy will be back for this year’s Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival, where, exceptionally, she will collaborate in nine performances over the two-week Festival period (June 12-20). Of special note, she will partner on June 14th with pianist Robert McDonald in a performance of Beethoven’s fifth cello sonata, often described as a defiant masterpiece that pushes the cello to its expressive limits, most notably through its complex, technically difficult concluding fugue.

As artistic director for Chesapeake Music, Marcy Rosen also has introduced other exceptional cellists to Eastern Shore audiences. Notable among them is Sterling Elliott who debuted as a “rising star” in 2022 and quickly became an audience favorite, being invited back several times as he blossomed into an internationally-acclaimed soloist. His cello differs from Marcy’s in that it has an unusually bright timbre and exceptional clarity that is mesmerizing to hear. His performance of Debussy’s famous Rêverie, for example, brought the Chesapeake Music audience to their feet.

At this year’s 2026 Chamber Music Festival the cello will continue to hold star billing. In addition to Marcy Rosen’s nine performances, the Festival will introduce two additional cellists: Julia Yang and “rising star” Chase Park. Julia Yang is a founding member of the Merz Trio, an ensemble highly regarded for its innovative and multidisciplinary approach to classical music. She first became known to the Chesapeake Music audience when the Merz Trio won the organization’s Lerman Gold Prize at the 2018 Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition. Critics have praised Julia for her “joyful virtuosity” and her “remarkable precision.” On June 13th, Julia will partner with flutist Tara Helen O’Connor in Heitor Vilaa-Lobos’ The Jet Whistle. And on June 14th, she will join Marcy Rosen and perform the second cello part in Johannes Brahms’ monumental String Sextet No. 1, Opus 18. In that work, the doubling of the cellos creates a bass sonority that is “velvety,” almost organ-like, allowing the upper strings to soar without the texture feeling top-heavy.

Chase Park was the winner of the 2021 Juilliard Cello Competition. A versatile soloist as well as a chamber ensemble musician, Chase has been praised for his agility and “searching lyricism.” He and his cello will be front and center especially at the June 18th performance of Franz Schubert’s famous Piano Quintet in A Major, “The Trout,” where the cello enjoys a liberated and highly melodic role due to the inclusion of a double bass that assumes the cello’s usual “low-note” harmonic line. He will also join Marcy Rosen as first cellist in two works scored for two cellos: Luigi Boccherini’s Quintet in C Major and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s String Sextet in D Minor, “Souvenir de Florence,” both at the Festival Finale on June 20th.

Be a part of this year’s Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival and experience the beauty of the cello and all the extraordinary music, performed in an intimate setting. Detailed information on the Festival concerts, including programs, dates, times and ticket availability, can be found at ChesapeakeMusic.org.