Press kit, Alisa Weilerstein · Press kit, official use
Alisa Weilerstein is one of the foremost cellists of our time. Known for her consummate artistry, emotional investment, and rare interpretive depth, she was recognized with a MacArthur “genius grant” Fellowship in 2011. Today, her career is truly global in scope, taking her to the most prestigious international venues for solo recitals, chamber concerts, and concertos, in collaboration with preeminent composers, conductors, and orchestras worldwide. Dedicated to expanding the cello literature, she is celebrated not only for her authoritative live and recorded interpretations of the core repertoire, but also for bringing new works to life through a wealth of solo and concerto commissions. “Weilerstein is a throwback to an earlier age of classical performers: not content merely to serve as a vessel for the composer’s wishes, she inhabits a piece fully and turns it to her own ends,” marvels the New York Times. “Weilerstein’s cello is her id. She doesn’t give the impression that making music involves will at all. She and the cello seem simply to be one and the same,” agrees the Los Angeles Times. As the UK’s Telegraph puts it, “Weilerstein is truly a phenomenon.” With her multi-season solo cello project, “FRAGMENTS,” Weilerstein aims to reimagine the concert experience. Comprising six programs, each an hour long, the series sees her weave together the 36 movements of Bach’s solo cello suites with 27 newly commissioned works. Performed in a multisensory production directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, with responsive lighting and scenic elements, each program offers a fully immersive and visceral listening experience.
