Cellist Leo Eguchi to Perform at Utah State University

Leo Eguchi, a Boston-based cellist, will perform his classical music performance, “UNACCOMPANIED,” from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6, at the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall at Utah State University.

Leo Eguchi is an in-demand cellist, co-founder of both Oregon’s Willamette Valley Chamber Music Festival and Sheffield Chamber Players in his hometown of Boston. He is also a faculty member at Boston College and an affiliated artist at MIT. Eguchi performs in regional ensembles including New Bedford Symphony (as principal cellist), Portland Symphony and the Boston Pops.

Eguchi’s project, “UNACCOMPANIED,” features eight short new works by immigrant and first-generation American composers for solo cello.

According to Eguchi, his upbringing as a Japanese-American man in a mixed-race Midwest family made him question his fit in the communities he inhabited. In response to this, Eguchi commissioned composers whose own work draws from their unique immigrant and mixed-race experiences to answer the question, “What does your American-ness sound like?”

It is anticipated that Eguchi will perform by himself on solo cello, alone on an empty stage. According to Eguchi, every newly commissioned piece will be five to eight minutes in length and have been put together into an evening-length performance to spotlight each composer’s work and story.

The composers and works featured in this initial phase of the project are:

Kenji Bunch - Ghost Mine

José-Luis Hurtado - Luminous

Kareem Roustom - Breviary

James Diaz - this is not America, part 2

Earl Maneein - The Wandering

Milad Yousufi - Anchorage

Frank Duarte - Unaccompanied

Shaw Pong Liu - Patch Work

However, since this project is ongoing, works are added as Eguchi continues his performances.

Tickets for this performance are free for all USU students, faculty and staff. Tickets for adults are $10, and $8 for seniors (65+). They can be purchased online here.

For more information regarding this event, check out this site.