鈥淔or me, fear doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean you shouldn鈥檛 do something. It might mean finding the courage to step into it,鈥� says cellist Andrew Briggs.
Cellist (BM 鈥�12) is living the dream.
Praised as 鈥渁n artist with an already expanding reputation and great future鈥� (The Well-Tempered Ear), the 28-year-old Colorado native has made a splash locally and is the current recipient of the Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship from the in Paris, France.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a scholarship for American artists,鈥� explains Briggs, who earned the College of Music鈥檚 Outstanding Graduate Award, having excelled in his studies here with Professor of Cello Judith Glyde. 鈥淭he scholarship funds a nine-month project based on some aspect of French culture. My project is focused on the cello 茅tudes of Jean-Louis Duport, a prominent French cellist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.鈥�
Duport premiered the Op. 5 sonatas with Beethoven and composed many cello pieces; a master pedagogue, Duport also wrote a 175-page treatise on cello-playing technique.
鈥淚鈥檓 studying French cello playing with a focus on bowing technique through the 茅tudes of Duport,鈥� continues Briggs, who also earned a master鈥檚 degree at The Juilliard School, a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a diploma from the Schola Cantorum de Paris. 鈥淒uport was one of the first cellists in France to describe how to play with the Tourte [or modern] bow, and his ideas led to a lineage of French string playing. I鈥檓 working on these ideas with Professor of Cello Daniel Grosgurin at the Schola Cantorum and the Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland.鈥�
The scholarship also entails monthly recitals with Briggs鈥� colleagues in the program鈥攅mphasizing the works of Duport, as well as Claude Debussy and Francis Poulenc鈥攃ulminating in a final solo recital in June 2019. He鈥檚 well-prepared, given his most recent stints as section cellist of the Colorado Symphony and principal cellist of the Crested Butte Music Festival this summer. Previously, he performed in a number of other festivals (including the Colorado Music Festival and the Aspen Music Festival), with several more orchestras, as a member of numerous trios and quartets and as a soloist鈥攂oth nationally and internationally. He鈥檚 also been awarded a series of prestigious fellowships and appointments, including that of Lecturer of Cello and Music Business at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Briggs credits the 鈥渁mazing faculty鈥� at the College of Music as key to his development as a well-rounded artist. 鈥淛udith Glyde, Associate Professor of Viola Erika Eckert and all the string faculty鈥攁nd the Tak谩cs Quartet鈥攁re at such a high level,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 remember such great insights from Gerry Walther [Tak谩cs violist] 鈥� The quartet is one of the best groups in the world!
鈥淭he same goes for the really great coaches in the Collaborative Piano program, including Margaret McDonald and Alexandra Nguyen.鈥� Briggs says he also greatly benefited from the experience and insights of young quartets in-residence鈥攊ncluding the Tesla Quartet, in residence at the College of Music during Briggs鈥� studies here. At the time, and as a dedicated performer of all eras of music, Briggs went on to win the college鈥檚 Honors Competition and performed Antonin Dvo艡谩k鈥檚 Cello Concerto with the CU and Longmont symphonies.
鈥淚 remember how gracious, respectful and helpful Gary Lewis was,鈥� says Briggs of the college鈥檚 longtime director of orchestras and professor of music. 鈥淚 did an independent study with him on orchestral excerpts which really helped prepare me for auditions, like Aspen and Juilliard.鈥�
Briggs鈥攚ho started private cello lessons in 7th grade鈥攂alances his performance career with teaching. As an educator, he was involved with The Juilliard School鈥檚 Educational Outreach Department, performing outreach concerts as a Gluck Community Service Fellow and teaching at the Harlem School for the Arts as an Arts Enrichment Fellow. He also taught in the classroom at Juilliard as an Ear Training Teaching Fellow, while mentoring the Juilliard Pre-College String Ensemble.
鈥淥ver the course of my education, there were definitely ups and downs,鈥� concludes Briggs. 鈥淭here were lots of successes, but also lots of disappointments and rejections. I learned to take it all in stride and to remain unwavering in my decision to do what I鈥檓 doing.
鈥淪omeone once said 鈥榝ollow your fear鈥� 鈥� I鈥檝e been thinking about that this year. What I鈥檝e found is that whenever there鈥檚 something I really want鈥攂ut maybe it feels even slightly beyond what I think I can do鈥擨 feel vulnerable and afraid. But if I go for it anyway, even if things don鈥檛 work, I always learn something.
鈥淔or me, fear doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean you shouldn鈥檛 do something. It might mean finding the courage to step into it.鈥�
Briggs鈥� doctoral project鈥斺�淧iatti and the Body: An Integrative Approach to Learning the 12 Caprices, Op. 25鈥濃�攃an be found on .
