News

Mark your calendar with the NCMF spring recital which is coming soon (!) on Saturday, March 8^th at St Paul’s featuring the Roebling Piano Trio. This is the first time we've had a dedicated piano trio concert, and it is very romantic program with Beethoven, Piazzolla, and a magnificent Brahms trio.

GET TICKETS

In March, we have a unique opportunity for some outreach; the Roebling Trio is headed to Newburyport High School to meet and perform for some students. This aspect of the trio’s visit falls outside of the NCMF budget, so there is an opportunity to sponsor these young professionals. As a sponsor, you’ll be acknowledged in the concert and also have an opportunity for a private lunch in town with the artists and me (lunch is on me). If interested, please reach out; the cost isn't large in dollars, but the impact and expression of support can make a crucial difference. You can respond to this email post directly - I’ll get the message and will write back. This entire visit was coordinated by one of Newburyport High’s finest (in conjunction with Nock Orchestra conductor, Kathleen Sheperd), the impressive Sofie LaFranchise. In addition to playing violin, Sophie is also a poet and headed to UNH in the fall to study English while continuing to pursue her musical studies. All in all, a remarkable young woman.

‍

As a mini-profile of the final member of the Roebling trio, we have Eliana Razzino Yang.

‍David Yang, Artistic Director

Desert Island piece of non-classical music

No brainer - Eurythmics' “Sweet Dreams are Made of This.” Annie Lennox slaps!!  

‍Most exciting concert coming up?

This one! I'm so happy to be able to introduce my close friends and colleagues to Newburyport, which feels almost like a second home to me.  

Dream job if you weren’t a musician?

I think I would love being a therapist. Diving into someone else's world, hearing how they think, what they feel about the things in their life, seeing how people react differently to various emotional stimuli... all of that is fascinating to me. I spend all of my time in my own head and world, so I always appreciate entering somebody else's.  

‍What repertoire are you currently working on?

‍ I'm currently re-learning the Crumb solo cello sonata for an upcoming competition. It's always interesting to revisit a piece - my last performance of this was exactly ten years ago, and the perspective I've gained plus the new (and hopefully improved...) skills I've learned really change my approach to the music.I actually played the sonata for George Crumb (rest in peace) back then, although I'm embarrassed to say that I honestly can't remember a single thing that he said to me about the piece. I guess that's an example of youth being wasted on the young. I do remember he was very kind. I'm also learning Shostakovich's first cello concerto, which is a classic headbanger, and Prokofiev's noble and grandiose cello and piano sonata.

What do you do to relax?‍

I call every member of my family until somebody picks up and entertains me, and when they get bored, I call the next person, and so on. But if nobody picks up, I will settle for watching a show (I'm currently in the middle of the third season of the Sopranos, which I'm loving), making some comfort food, going on a long walk, or trying to meditate ('trying" being the operative term).  

If I asked your friends to describe you without mentioning music, what do you think they would say? ‍

They'd probably say that I can be trusted to be direct, for better or worse, that I take the relationships in my life very seriously, that I am reliable (and upright with friends when they're not), and that my apartment perpetually smells like burned bacon.

What was one of the most memorable concerts of your career so far? ‍

I performed Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" a few summers back with some very esteemed musicians at a festival I attended. There's a movement which is all cello solo with minimal piano accompaniment, and I remember being beside myself with nerves. The combination of a packed house, playing with famous musicians two generations older than I was, and the very difficult and larger-than-life music made for quite an intimidating environment. This performance sticks out because it was a time where my confidence and belief in myself went up tangibly after we finished. There's nothing like being afraid, doing something anyway, and surviving to tell the tale.

Who are some cellists you look up to and admire? Why?

It's a cliché, but my favorite of all time is Jacqueline du Pré. I wouldn't even say that it's because I love everything she does, or would play music in exactly the same style, but she is the epitome of an artist overflowing with expression - she had something serious to say and needed urgently to find a way to say it, and she did it without ever making it about herself (ego usually plays into our music making way more than it should).

Favorite food? I

f I had to choose one thing above all others, I'd probably say a juicy ribeye. Close seconds include a NYC Gray's Papaya hot dog (especially late at night after a concert), Neapolitan pizza (I’m a dual citizen Italian/American so we go back often to visit family), or a cozy bowl of Vietnamese Phở. In Newburyport, I always make sure to hit Jewel in the Crown for a Butter Chicken, and the gelato place for a pistachio and hazelnut mixed cup (I'm always disappointed when I visit during the winter and the shop is closed).  

Is it scary to be graduating?

‍aaaargh, everyone is asking me that these days!

‍ok, it's very frightening to face the prospect of being part of the "real world," which is what people call it once you're out of school. I am very aware that school has been a crutch for me for some time now, but that awareness hasn't really alleviated any of the uncertainty, unfortunately. I still feel like a little kid, so I am somewhat in disbelief that my time in school is over. I've been at Juilliard for over a decade (pre-college, Bachelor's, and now finishing my Master's), and that building is all I know; it has been a home, for better or for worse, for almost half of my life. But I've learned that sometimes, the stress and anticipation of something can be worse than actually facing it, so I am hoping that come May, I feel ready to face the "real world."

‍