SHAUNA ROLSTON

Shauna Rolston, Cellist

Writing artist notes for Shauna Rolston is an honour and a challenge. She is one of the world’s great artists, one of a handful of “brilliant young cellists,” according to Benjamin Ivry, who define the “real legacy” of the late great master, Rostropovich. As such, it seems that everything that can be said of Shauna has been said. Just check out her website, www.shaunarolston.com. You will find a massive volume of information documenting the "facts" of her artistic development and current "superstar" status: how she fell in love with the cello at age 2, the freedom to experiment fostered by her parents, her formative studies at the Banff Centre and unconventional training through exposure to the world's finest musicians, her tenure at Yale where she assisted and studied with the renowned cellist and pedagogue, Aldo Parisot, her brilliant New York Town Hall debut at 16, her vast number of concert performances and diverse professional collaborations, the consistent critical acclaim, her passion and advocacy for contemporary music and composers, her extensive discography and multi-media projects, her many prestigious honours and awards, her commitment to education and community outreach, her extraordinary intonation and technique, her unusually defined artistic personality, her sophisticated and constantly evolving musical mind, and of course her magical and unique personality. Really, there is little more to add, except perhaps some insight into the personal bond between Shauna and Claude Kenneson, the music arranger for this recording.