Cellist who inspired worldwide movement to perform Bach marathon

Sunday, August 28, 2016
New York cellist Dale Henderson, founder of the Bach in the Subway movement, will perform the Complete Suites for Solo Cello as part of a marathon project to play all of Bach's works written for cello while crossing the U.S. within a single week. He plays in Greencastle at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Music on the Square. Tickets, available online at music.depauw.edu and at the door, include refreshments.

Cellist Dale Henderson, the founder of the international "Bach In the Subways" movement, in which musicians around the world celebrate the enlivening and humanizing power of classical music, is in Greencastle for a four-day residency, cosponsored by the DePauw School of Music, the Greencastle Summer Music Festival and the Inn at DePauw.

A number of DePauw musicians, including cello professor Eric Edberg, are joining him in free "pop-up" performances in various locations on the DePauw campus and throughout Putnam County.

Henderson's time in Greencastle culminates in a 7:30 p.m. Wednesday performance of the complete "Bach Suites for Solo Cello" as part of the School of Music's Faculty Select concert series at Music on the Square (21 N. Indiana St.). General admission is $10, with students, youth, and senior citizens admitted free.

"Dale is one of my most admired colleagues," Edberg praised. "I met him seemingly by chance in January 2011, on a subway platform in New York City. This was shortly after he had started his mission to play Bach in the subways, without accepting money, as a way of bringing classical music out of the concert hall to where people are.

"I'd seen a CNN story about him and was hoping to meet him," Edberg continued, "and then one day, there he was! I was staying in New York on a sabbatical, and he invited me and others to join him on Bach's birthday for what became the first 'Bach in the Subways Day.' What started out with just a handful of us soon went viral, and is now a worldwide phenomenon.

"He has been a tremendous inspiration to me and countless others. I'm absolutely thrilled to have him here leading members of the DePauw musical community in taking classical music everywhere we can. And Wednesday's concert is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the power of Johann Sebastian Bach's Six Suites for Solo Cello. It will last about three hours, which I expect will fly by. There is very comfortable seating in the beautiful, intimate Music on the Square space, and we'll have refreshments on hand."

Edberg says that Henderson is an extraordinary musician.

"He was a child prodigy and has an amazing command of the instrument. I love his playing." Within one week, Aug. 31-Sept. 4, the New Yorker will cross the country playing every cello work by J.S. Bach, traveling from DePauw University to Bloedel Reserve in Washington state to perform the six Bach Cello Suites in Greencastle and the three Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord in Washington.

"There are only a few cellists in the world who can play all six suites in one program," Edberg explains, "and then fly on to Seattle and perform the three Gamba sonatas? It's the cello equivalent of running two marathons in one week! Absolutely astounding."

Henderson, a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, took his cello to the subways of New York in 2010 in an effort to champion classical music and deliver it to a wider audience.

Five years on, those first impromptu "Bach in the Subways" concerts sparked a global Bach movement on five continents, inspiring pop-up concerts in over 140 cities in 40 countries. Now the cellist undertakes a new challenge, showcasing the entire Bach cello repertoire in his own performances across the country.

"So much of classical music and Bach especially has this magic power to transcend all the usual human divisions," says Henderson. "It brings people together by moving the souls of everyone who's there hearing it. The spirit behind 'Bach in the Subways' was always to get as many people as possible to hear this incredible music. With the complete Bach cello cycle, I'm approaching the same goal from a new perspective."

The Cello Suites are significant to Henderson because they were nearly lost. Not until world-renown cellist Pablo Casals found the music did the Suites live again through performances and recordings. Taking his cue from Casals, Henderson has made it his mission to reimagine Bach and classical music in general through his own performances, and by inviting musicians from around the world to bring their music directly to the public with "Bach in the Subways."

Described by Yo-Yo Ma as "a very gifted musician, a natural cellist," Henderson began studying cello when he was five. He enjoyed regular performances as a chamber musician, soloist and orchestra cellist, and made his professional solo debut at 13 with the Buffalo Philharmonic. Dale earned his Bachelor's of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He currently lives in New York City.

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