All-Cello Orchestra: 56 cellists celebrate Pablo Casals

Celebrity Series Neighborhood Arts Presents: Celebrating the tradition of mass cello choir performances at Puerto Rico’s beloved Casals Festivals, an orchestra of 56 cellists – drawn from students and faculty at Berklee, Boston Conservatory, Boston University, Longy School of Music, New England Conservatory, and 14 professional organizations – share the stage for the first time in the magnificent Virginia Wimberley Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts in the South End.

The program includes Spanish Sardanas by Pablo Casals, Puerto Rican folksong arrangements by Aristides Rivas, and works by contemporary composers, accompanied by Jorge and Gabriel Arce on percussion. Joining the ensemble are Casals’ godson and New England Conservatory string chair Lluís Claret, and conductors Eugene Friesen and Aristides Rivas.