Senior Spotlight: Harrison De Beer, Cello
AYPO Marketing
What is your current AYPO ensemble?
Philharmonic (AYP)
What AYPO ensembles have you played in and for how long?
AYCO 2020-2022, AYSO 2022-2023, AYPO 2023-2025.
What college/university do you plan on attending this fall?
College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia.
What do you hope to do after graduation or your more long-term goals?
“I hope to graduate from UVA in '27/'28 and eventually complete terminal degree in biophysics.”
A favorite, or memorable AYPO experience?
“The AYP concert where we played La Valse in Capital One Hall was really memorable because we had a full-length rehearsal beforehand and we got pizza!.”
What musician, conductor, or orchestra inspires you and why?
“Michael Bach is a German cellist with great focus on technique and a significant performance resume, and while he has a lot to show, what inspires me the most is his understanding of J.S. Bach (no relation). He has numerous publications, compositions, and performances on J.S. Bach, his bow, and Baroque cello technique. There are very few modern cellists that truly understand much of what J.S. Bach did, and fewer as well as Michael Bach does. In the 1990s, with some involvement of my teacher's teacher, Mstislav Rostropovich, he developed the closest modern bow to a baroque bow and dubbed it the BACH.bogen. With his knowledge of J.S. Bach, he has produced some of the best interpretations of any Baroque repertoire. His take on the 6th Suite and Chaconne cello transcription are undeniably some of the best modern recordings of any cello performance.”
Your advice for young musicians?
“Always continue with music even if you don't think you will go into it---I've never heard anyone say they regret doing that, but I've heard a lot of people regret quitting.”
Congratulations, Harrison!