Eliesha Nelson

Recent News

Eliesha — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:04:55 +0000

I’ve been busy with baby care and preparing for a full recital, which I didn’t realize would be so all consuming. Whoever said that one could get a lot done with babies because they sleep a lot lied to me! Anyhow, I thought I’d report the concerts I’ve played and the recital I have coming up just in case there is some interest.

The recital is at Lorain County Community College on March 10, 2010 at 7:30 pm as part of their Signature Series. I will be performing with Shanelle Cook on piano. I did an interview on the Cleveland NPR show Around Noon about the concert and the Porter album. It went well, and I had never done a live radio interview before.

On February 28, I performed Jeffrey Mumford’s piece wending on the Cleveland Composer’s Guild. I will also perform it on my recital in LCCC March 10.

I performed the debut of Leslie Adams’ viola piece L’extase d’Amour for his Cleveland based fan club on February 15. Channel 3 was there taking footage, and a very nice piece was presented about him.

Practicing – what’s the point?

Eliesha — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:17:26 +0000

I’ve been asked by many non musicians how much I practice and how long it takes to prepare for concerts, recording sessions, etc. Many are amazed that I play my instrument several hours a day, and I rarely take long vacations (more than a day) away from playing. That is what makes being a musician a lifestyle – if we want to maintain or build our technique and musical ability, we must continue to practice, study, and perform in order to grow.

The length of practice depends on what I have to prepare. On the rare event when not much is going on, I spend a couple of hours on scales, intervals, Dounis shifting and finger strengthening exercises, bowing techniques like up and down bow staccato and thrown bow, and etudes. If I have a recital or recording session to prepare, it’s usually around 4-6 hours of practice. This can get tricky to manage as I also have the Cleveland Orchestra rehearsal schedule to consider.

When I practice, I’m always listening for basic musicianship, which I consider to be intonation (playing in tune), good rhythm, phrasing, and a singing, beautiful sound quality. The point is to always listen, so I try to vary how I practice so I don’t get bored. I am, however, methodical. In my warm up, I always practice shifting, intervals, and scales, and if I’m not to overrun with pieces, I practice a technical etude. The music I practice constantly changes, so there’s no way to get bored there.

Having just had a child a couple of months ago, practicing has become rather erratic. However, it is getting more scheduled, like my son’s sleep habits. I have my longer sessions when he is asleep or someone else is watching him, but sometimes he practices with me when I do my warm up. If he is up to it, he can tolerate up to an hour, which I find amazing for a 10 week old.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and happy practicing!

Blues Lointains music video

Eliesha — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:31:52 +0000

The Blues Lointains music video is now up and running! It was shot on location at Ayreshire Farms where the studio Dorian Sono Luminus resides. I was six months pregnant, and hoping they would only video record me from the chest up! That was wishful thinking, but the videography is beautiful, and the black and white, film noir effect is quite elegant.

This is my new son William, who is 6 weeks old, in his green bassinet.

Porter Review on ClevelandClassical.com

Eliesha — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:55:51 +0000

The Quincy Porter CD just got another review on ClevelandClassical.com, which covers the classical music scene in northeast Ohio. It’s a great site which lists the week’s concerts and recitals, plus reviews of concerts and new recordings.

Reviews of Quincy Porter Complete Viola Works

Eliesha — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:03:36 +0000

I’ve come across a couple of reviews of my new CD, Quincy Porter Complete Viola Works. They are on Amazon.com and philly.com. It’s always interesting to see what others think, but ultimately it’s up to the listeners to decide what they appreciate.

John McLaughlin Williams Interview

Eliesha — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:31:04 +0000

My friend and colleague John McLaughlin Williams has an interview on the AfricClassical blog about his life and his experience working on the Quincy Porter Complete Viola Works recording. He’s a fascinating man with a great interest in all things musical. I didn’t realize how many instruments he has played!

Conclusion to Yesterday’s AfriClassical Interview

Eliesha — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:02:29 +0000

Bill Zick posted the conclusion to the Porter Viola Works interview. We speak about the pieces on the recording in more detail.

New interview on Africlassical Blog

Eliesha — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:17:53 +0000

I had an interesting chat not too long ago with Bill Zick, who runs the Africlassical blog. It focuses on Africans and those of the African diaspora throughout the world who play and compose classical music. I was happy he wanted to do an interview about the Quincy Porter Complete Viola Works recording. Please check it out here.

Interview on Naxos Blog

Eliesha — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:23:44 +0000

I’ve been quite pleased with how enthusiastic the people at Naxos have been with their interest in the Quincy Porter Complete Viola Works recording. I just completed an interview with the marketing coordinator whose shares the same name as I (Eliesha) only spelled differently (Elysha) and is also a viola player! We chatted about the album, covering topics beyond the recording. Check out the Naxos blog!

Pre-order Quincy Porter Complete Viola Works

Eliesha — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:27:36 +0000

I’m happy to announce that one can pre-order the Quincy Porter Complete Viola Works from a couple of online sources. Amazon.com and Naxos both carry the recording. I’ll update as more venues offer the CD.