Virtuoso cellist returns to the island
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Vashon Chamber Music will welcome returning Seattle Symphony principal cellist Efe Baltacigil along with Seattle Symphony pianist Jessica Choe for another virtuoso concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Kay White Hall.
Baltacigil and Choe will perform a set of variations by Beethoven, “Suite Italienne” by Igor Stravinsky along with the Shostakovich cello sonata.
The cellist played his first show last year at the art center and according to Vashon Chamber Music (VCM) director and cellist Rowena Hammill, the audience “went wild, were thrilled by Efe’s playing so we asked him to return for this all-star season.”
Hammill and her husband, cellist and VCM co-founder Douglas Davis, agree that Baltacigil plays at the highest technical and musical level.
“He is without doubt one of the finest cellists in the country, if not the world right now,” Hammill said. “Last year the audience sensed that they were hearing something truly extraordinary, and that’s why they ‘went wild.’ I’d also like to say that even though we are so lucky to have him living and performing locally he, too, was very happy to return and play again this year because he loved the hall, and he loved the warm reception from the audience. So kudos to him and to Vashon.”
Tickets are available at vashoncenterforthearts.org and at the door.
— Juli Goetz Morser
