Since its inception at New York City’s Knitting Factory in 1995, the New Directions Cello Festival has provided an international forum for the exchange of music and ideas for creative and alternative cellists of all ages, levels and backgrounds. With a “big tent” ethos, New Directions embraces all styles of music, particularly those not commonly taught at conservatories and music schools and especially those that incorporate improvisation. Cellist participants come from all over the US and abroad for a weekend of workshops, concerts, panels and jam sessions with some of the most innovative cellists working today.
Now in its 31st year, the annual festival has presented a veritable who’s who of creative cellists in New York City, Boston, Connecticut, Wisconsin, California, Cologne, Germany, Ithaca, NY, and now Northampton, MA. Over 100 cellists and their groups have graced the stages of the festival over the years including David Darling, Eugene Friesen, David Baker, Mark Summer, Tomeka Reid, Zoë Keating, Vincent Courtois, Mike Block, Leyla McCalla, Seth Parker Woods, Stephan Braun, Nathalie Haas, Andrew Yee, Patricia Santos, Zachary Brown, Ben Sollee, Vincent Segal, Mia Pixley, Jaques Morelenbaum, Stephen Katz, Ernst Reijseger, George Crotty, Gunther Tiedmann, Stijn Kuppens, David Eyges, Akua Dixon, Kelly Pinheiro, Agustin Uriburu, Rushad Eggleston, Rufus Cappodocia, Jane Scarpantoni, Chris White, Erik Friedlander, Jake Charkey, Jeremy Harman, Dawn Avery and Robert Een and many others.