Craig Thomas Nz

The cello collection

"You cannot live without not only hearing the sound but also being able to make it yourself," she says.

"It's as if the cello sound resonates with being human, because the instrument is almost part of your body when you are playing it and the sound resonates through you, so it's really becoming your voice and expressing yourself. Being surrounded by a whole choir of this beautiful sound is quite indulgent."

Unlike players of most other instruments, cellists like to play together. Because cellos easily cover four octaves they can take the bass, tenor, alto and soprano voices and much music has been written or arranged for them.

Cello choirs have been popular since the 1970s when the 12 cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra recorded Julius Klengel's Hymnus for 12 cellos.

They formed a group and toured, commissioned composers to write works for cellos and gained an international following. But cello choirs existed before that, often the pupils of a teacher playing together and passing on the tradition.

Du Plessis inherited this tradition from the late French cellist Pierre Fournier through her teachers Daniel Grosgurin in Switzerland and Amit Peled in the US, who had been a pupil of Boris Pergamenshikov.

Both Grosgurin and Pergamenshikov had also been pupils of Fournier.

"It was a very clear part of [Amit's] philosophy and teaching - and part of mine as well - that the cello class should be like a family. He decides on whether he takes you on and you take him on as a teacher, because if he does he regards you as lifelong family, and he would nurture and insist on that support among his students in an environment which is quite competitive sometimes.

"It really rubbed off on people to be more supportive and not so competitive, and to enjoy music because it can become quite stressful."

Du Plessis formed a cello choir with her students in South Africa and when she came to New Zealand was delighted to find one already here and to be invited to join.

"When I arrived - I was still in the hotel when they contacted me and invited us to a party to meet all the cellists and to be part of the choir. I was immediately absorbed into it and became the concert leader. It's all part of the belonging and friendship and family," she said.

TV & Radio Friday July 29 – Today's TV and ... - New Zealand Listener

Is lean, mean and doesn’t outstay its welcome. Ah-nuld and his special forces buddies are hunted by an alien with advanced technology. That’s it. Although Arnie’s descent into primitivism towards the end has a touch of the Kurtz about it. (1987) 7

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