Cello Chat with Host Dr. Benjamin Whitcomb and guest Michael Reynolds

Welcome to my website. My teaching philosophy stems from my studies with David Soyer, Martita Casals, Karen Tuttle, and George Neikrug. Combining the musical principles of Casals and the Old European school with the releases and coordination techniques learned from Ms. Tuttle, I work with students toward the goal of musically intense but relaxed playing. I also attempt to integrate some basic principles from yoga (mainly stretches, breathing techniques and meditative tools), and I like to stress the importance of physical conditioning on general and cellistic health. I started Classics for Kids Foundation because I strongly believe in the positive effect of music study on the lives of young people. CFKF’s matching grants for beautiful new stringed instruments help to strengthen strings programs nationally, while helping communities establish long-term connections to local philanthropy. I’m fortunate to enjoy a diverse career as chamber musician, soloist, teacher and musical entrepreneur. I’ve been professor of cello at Boston University since 1983. Founding cellist of the Muir String Quartet, I graduated from the Curtis Institute and began the Quartet at Marlboro and Yale University, working with members of the Budapest and Guarneri Quartets, Beaux Arts Trio, Oscar Shumsky and Raphael Hillyer. I’ve performed over 2,000 concerts worldwide, including such venues as the White House, Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Sydney Opera House. And thanks for visiting! Mr. Reynolds has been the cellist of the world-renowned Muir String Quartet since its inception in 1979. As a member of the Muir Quartet and as soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Reynolds has performed over 3,000 concerts throughout North America, Europe and the Far East, and he has performed with such diverse artists as Leon Fleisher, Menachem Pressler, Gil Shaham, Richard Stoltzman, Phyllis Curtin and Benny Goodman. Accolades he has won with the Muir Quartet include first prize at the Evian Competition, the 1981 Naumburg Award, two Grand Prix du Disques, the Gramophone Award, a Grammy nomination and a Grammy on the EcoClassics label he founded, and an internationally acclaimed PBS broadcast, “In Performance at The White House” for President and Mrs. Reagan. A native of Montana, he received his professional training at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he was a student of David Soyer and Martita Casals, continuing with Karen Tuttle and George Neikrug and studies at Yale University. Mr. Reynolds has appeared with orchestras and in recital throughout the U. S., and his recording of the complete Bach Suites for Solo Cello on the EcoClassics label has received much critical acclaim. Recent recordings include the Muir Quartet performing Berg Op. 3, Kreisler Quartet and Schulhoff 5 Pieces on the KidsClassics label, and the Beethoven Clarinet Trio (after the Septet) and Zemlinsky Trio with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and pianist Judith Stillman on KidsClassics. Upcoming recordings include works from the Klezmer Tradition with clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein and the Muir Quartet on Parma Recordings. Mr. Reynolds has taught at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts since 1983. His students continue to develop successful careers in music, including members of the Boston Symphony and other orchestras, teachers at universities and other institutions internationally, four Boston Symphony Competition and numerous other competition winners. He is co-founder and Director of Classics for Kids Foundation (classicsforkids.org), which has given matching grants for excellent student instruments to hundreds of string programs serving disadvantaged children around America. He is Artistic Director ArtsLIVE! (www.artsliveva.org) in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and founder/artistic advisor of the Montana Chamber Music Society (www.montanachambermusicsociety.org), the first statewide chamber music society in America. Mr. Reynolds has served on the faculties of New England Conservatory, Rutgers University, the University of Utah, and UC Santa Cruz. He received an honorary doctorate from Rhode Island College in 1995. In his spare time he is an avid flyfisherman and outdoorsman.

https://michaelreynoldscello.com/