Eugene Friesen in concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, December 2019. (Photo: Matthew Muise)
Eugene Friesen's
Creative Cello Workshop
Integral Studies for Cellists
At the crossroad of improvisation and meditation is the personal expression that blends the practices of the creative musician with intuitive expression and communication.
The benefits of improvisation and meditation have similarities and mutual properties. Mental clarity, insight, calm, and the intuitive integration of information are trademarks of a contemplative practice, while not-knowing, an absence of expectation, deep listening, flexibility, and enhanced spontaneity are true to both.
Both practices have long been marginalized in our Western musical and philosophic traditions,
and both are now being reintroduced.
The online offerings of The Creative Cello Workshop nurture the parallel development of distinct musical practices with mindful, creative, and personal application of our studies.
New times require new strategies - and new skills. Now, more than ever, artists are being called to respond with increasing flexibility and imagination. Musicians everywhere are transitioning from reading sheet music to improvising, creating their own repertoire, collaborating in new configurations, forming new ensembles, and serving their communities in new ways.
Creative Cello Workshop
Integral Studies for Cellists
At the crossroad of improvisation and meditation is the personal expression that blends the practices of the creative musician with intuitive expression and communication.
The benefits of improvisation and meditation have similarities and mutual properties. Mental clarity, insight, calm, and the intuitive integration of information are trademarks of a contemplative practice, while not-knowing, an absence of expectation, deep listening, flexibility, and enhanced spontaneity are true to both.
Both practices have long been marginalized in our Western musical and philosophic traditions,
and both are now being reintroduced.
The online offerings of The Creative Cello Workshop nurture the parallel development of distinct musical practices with mindful, creative, and personal application of our studies.
New times require new strategies - and new skills. Now, more than ever, artists are being called to respond with increasing flexibility and imagination. Musicians everywhere are transitioning from reading sheet music to improvising, creating their own repertoire, collaborating in new configurations, forming new ensembles, and serving their communities in new ways.