“Cello, Is This Thing On?”—An Evening with Alexander Hersh
Who says chamber music can’t have a sense of humor? Join us Tuesday, December 8 as cellist and CMNW Summer Festival favorite Alexander Hersh takes the stage at Curious Comedy Theater for an evening of live music, laughter, and unexpected surprises.
“Imagine if a cello recital, a stand-up comedy show, David Sedaris, and The Moth Radio Hour all had a baby.”
— Alexander Hersh
After completing the stand-up comedy program at Chicago’s Second City, Alex made his professional comedy debut last summer and was inspired to start developing a show of his own called I Really Should Be Practicing… This special performance offers a glimpse into his new project combining both of the artforms he knows and loves in entirely unexpected ways—and CMNW audiences will be the first to see it!
Best of all, Alex is sharing this performance in support of CMNW’s FREE Education & Community Engagement programs. All proceeds support our masterclasses, community concerts, open rehearsals, student coachings, and other free offerings that bring exceptional music to our community.
Doors open at 6:30 PM, so come early, grab some food and drinks, and find a seat with friends.
Date: Tuesday, December 8
Doors Open: 6:30 PM (Food and drinks, including a full bar, available for purchase)
Show Time: 7 PM—with a Q&A to follow
Where: Curious Comedy, 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97211 (Vanport Square)
*This special benefit event supports Chamber Music Northwest’s free Education & Community Engagement programs. A receipt for the tax-deductible portion of your ticket will be sent upon purchase.
Curious Comedy Theater
Tuesday, 12/8 • 7:00 pm
Artists
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Alexander Hersh
Cello
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A top laureate of the 2024 Naumburg International Cello Competition, Alexander Hersh is widely recognized as one of the most creative and versatile cellists of his generation. Praised for his 2022 Carnegie Hall debut recital, he has appeared as soloist with major orchestras including the Houston Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Dallas Chamber Symphony, and Boston POPS, and received top prizes from the Pro Musicis International Award, Astral Artists National Auditions, and Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant.
An avid chamber musician, Hersh has toured with Musicians from Marlboro and performed at leading festivals, including Marlboro, Chamber Music Northwest, Ravinia, Caramoor, Music@Menlo, Lucerne, and IMS Prussia Cove. He is Co-Artistic Director of NEXUS Chamber Music, an artist-led collective dedicated to breaking down the barriers for how classical music is experienced through intimate performances, multimedia projects, and new commissions.
His debut album, ABSINTHE (2023) received critical acclaim, and he was recently featured on PBS’s Now Hear This series in an episode exploring the music of Boccherini.
A fourth-generation string player, Hersh’s parents are both active professional violinists; his grandfather, Paul Hersh, taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for 49 years and his great-grandfather, Ralph Hersh, was a member of the WQXR and Stuyvesant String Quartets and Principal Violist of the Dallas and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras.Raised in Chicago, Hersh began playing the cello at the age of five. He received his B.M. and M.M. from New England Conservatory and continued his studies in Berlin at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik. His teachers have included Laurence Lesser, Hans Jørgen Jensen, Kim Kashkashian, Nicolas Altstaedt, and Paul Katz. He plays a G.B. Rogeri cello, courtesy of Guarneri Hall NFP and Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins. In his spare time he composes original music and creates short films that marry classical music with narrative, viewable on his YouTube channel: @AlexanderHersh.
Upcoming Concerts & Events
- “Cello, Is This Thing On?”—An Evening with Alexander Hersh (currently selected)