Nicky Swett “SuperSuites”
SuperSuites
The 1960s saw an explosion of new compositions and arrangements inspired by the works of J.S. Bach. This can be seen quite clearly in music for solo cello, a genre that made a comeback in this period after lying mostly dormant for over two centuries. Dorothy Rudd Moore’s Baroque Suite and Benjamin Britten’s first Solo Cello Suite, both written in 1964, show how different artists responded to and played with Bach’s musical legacy. This concert combines selections from Bach’s solo string repertoire and these later compositions into “SuperSuites”: musical journeys that bridge 250 years using the singular voice of the cello.
Nicky Swett, cello
Cellist, teaching artist, music researcher, and arts administrator Nicky Swett holds music and comparative literature degrees from Northwestern University and an MA in Music Psychology from The University of Sheffield. He has worked as a community engagement fellow and principal cellist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Nicky has performed extensively in Chicago, New York, the UK, and France as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. His research and artistic practice focus on the relationships between musical styles and how those connections can be explored and enhanced in live performance. He is currently a PhD student and Gates Scholar in the department of music at the University of Cambridge.
