Jean Kumagai
|
April 2, 2015

LED Cello Lights Up The Stage

Jean Kumagai
|
April 2, 2015

LED Cello Lights Up The Stage

Jean Kumagai
|
April 2, 2015

LED Cello Lights Up The Stage

The cello, played well, is a soulful instrument. So human, so organic. The last thing you’d think a cello needs is high-tech enhancement. And yet, several years ago the visual artist Erika Harrsch began collaborating with cellist Maya Beiser and composer Paola Prestini on a new work.

Harrsch had an idea: What about an LED cello? An instrument covered with panels of light-emitting diodes. Harrsch says at first, it was a tough sell.

"I remember when I came to Paola and Maya, like, 'I want to make an LED Cello,' they’re like, 'what?!'"

Beiser was skeptical, saying she was worried about "the warmth of it." Harrsch also got some pushback from Yamaha, the company that makes the electric cello on which she wanted to mount the LEDs.

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