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Laurence Lesser: the making of a cellist

2024-03-06T09:31:00

Lesser 1 credit Carin Ma

Having recently celebrated his 85th birthday, cellist and pedagogue Laurence Lesser looks back on his formative influences and recalls some of the iconic 20th-century musicians he worked with

I was born in Los Angeles in 1938. My mother was a piano teacher. When I was very young I was taken to youth concerts and asked if I was interested in any particular instrument. I chose the double bass. My parents thought that was too big for me and instead got me a cello for my sixth birthday. Thus began a lifelong commitment to learn from that instrument how I could find my own voice…

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