3 Celli Benefit Concerts

3Celli (Eleanore, Lisa, and Miriam Liske-Doorandish) will offer two concerts at the end of July with a triple-benefit: The Blacksburg Refugee Partnership; the next step in the education and international networking opportunity for a young artist with a concern for social justice, Miriam Liske-Doorandish; and the audiences themselves. The three cellists will present an hour-long program of music for cello solo and ensemble, ranging from Renaissance and Baroque to Romantic to 21st century to international traditional music. Audiences in Floyd and Blacksburg will have a chance to enjoy the great sound of the cello some of its many roles, from its original role as a Renaissance and Baroque bass line instrument through its exciting genesis as a solo voice during the centuries since then. The musicians have a fundraising goal of $4,000. 50% of the proceeds from donations at the door will go to Blacksburg Refugee Partnership, the other 50% of the proceeds to cover Miriam’s travel to Prussia Cove [England] Open Chamber Music. There she will have an opportunity to further her development as an artist and make connections with other like-minded young musicians from around the world. Once the goal is reached, 100% of the proceeds will go to BRP.

Blacksburg Refugee Partnership (“doing the work of resettlement with love”) supports families who have come to the United States to escape their war-torn countries. BRP currently supports 19 children and 9 adults in Blacksburg, as well as co-supporting 10 children and 2 adults in Roanoke. The families come from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Burundi. BPR has over 300 members, and partners with a dozen faith communities and ten other local community organizations to do its work of helping the refugee families become integrated in the community and become self-supporting.

For a musician like Miriam, the question is not just about career-building but about making a difference in the world. She is dedicated to conflict resolution, environmental ethics, and community development. Miriam, a recent graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory who will return there for an Artist’s Diploma, plans to attend the world-renowned Prussia Cove session in September. Miriam grew up in Eggleston, in Giles County. From age two, she studied cello with her mother, Lisa. Lisa is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of music whose Blacksburg studio Community Cello Works has been at the forefront of music education and cello study (ages 3 through adult) since 2000. Lisa was a member of the Roanoke Symphony and the Opera Roanoke orchestra for many years, and a faculty member at Hollins University and Roanoke College. She now performs widely as a soloist and chamber musician. Miriam’s sister Eleanore is now 16 and a writer as well as a cellist and chef.

The link between art and social responsibility is direct and reciprocal; art expresses the spirit of the times and gives voice to its people’s needs – and the requirements of the times give artists the seeds of their work. Cellists have long contributed to their communities in times of need; we can recall Pablo Casals and Paul Tortelier standing for peace; Mstislav Rostropovich playing at the Berlin Wall at the time of the end of the partition between East and West Germany; Yo-Yo Ma advocating for the recognition, preservation, and growth of the musical and cultural traditions of the Silk Road cultures and also for the importance of arts education in today’s society; and the brave playing of The Cellist of Sarajevo.In this spirit, 3Celli invites you to come enjoy the music.