Extreme Cello

Extreme Cello is an extreme sport and a performance art in which people take a cello to an unusual, often outdoor, location and perform music. It is synonymous with the cello trio known as the Extreme Cellists, an amateur group inspired by the sport of Extreme Ironing.[1] Their performances are generally given to raise money for various charities. Since 2006 the Extreme Cellists have had a particular association with the spinal injuries charity Aspire. According to their official website, Extreme Cello aims to "take musical performances to new heights, and depths, by giving performances in many extreme locations."[2]

Extreme Cellists

History

The formation of the Extreme Cellists in 2003 to raise money for the music fund of Westways Primary School, Sheffield, is believed to have been the first organised Extreme Cello event. Before this, a number of individual cellists are known to have performed in unusual locations but did not use the phrase "Extreme Celling" to describe their activities.

Since then the Extreme Cellists have undertaken a range of challenges, most notably a tour of 42 English cathedral rooftops in 2006.[3] In July 2008 they successfully completed the Four Peaks Challenge, playing at the summits of the tallest mountains in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland.[4] In 2010, they hiked Wainwright's famous Coast to Coast Walk across northern England, playing as they went.[5] In April 2012, the three Extreme Cellists ran the London Marathon with cellos on their backs, playing occasionally along the way.[6] In 2016 they performed on all 58 surviving seaside piers in Great Britain in just 14 days.[7]

Members
  • Jeremy Dawson, lecturer
  • Clare Wallace, teacher
  • James Rees, teacher

Musical style

The group's repertoire is varied. They perform arrangements of classical pieces such as Bach's Wachet Auf, Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and the Adagio cantabile from Beethoven's trio for 3 cellos. They also perform more popular pieces such as "Up on the Roof", originally sung by The Drifters, "Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music (Rodgers and Hammerstein), "Hi Ho Silver Lining", originally sung by Jeff Beck; "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"; and "Hey Jude" (Lennon & McCartney). Many of the pieces were arranged for cello trio performance by group member Jeremy Dawson.

Performances
Date Performance title Performance locations
24 May 2003 The Original Extreme Cello Day Mam Tor, Derbyshire; Blue John Cavern, Derbyshire; Sheffield University Arts Tower; Grindleford Station, Derbyshire; Padley Gorge, Derbyshire; Winter Garden, Sheffield
18 June 2005 The Extreme Cello Walk Manchester Cathedral; Compstall, Cheshire; Hayfield, Derbyshire; Edale, Derbyshire; Bamford, Derbyshire; Sheffield Cathedral (NB some performances were vocal performances of Byrd's mass for Three Voices, for which the Extreme Cellists (also singers) were accompanied by Chris Tyler, Rachel Tyler and Laurie Cottam.
24 July-4 August 2006 The Extreme Cello Cathedral Roof Tour Truro Cathedral; Exeter Cathedral; Wells Cathedral; Bristol Cathedral; Gloucester Cathedral; Hereford Cathedral; Worcester Cathedral; Christ Church, Oxford; Salisbury Cathedral; Winchester Cathedral; Portsmouth Cathedral; Guildford Cathedral; Chichester Cathedral; Canterbury Cathedral; Rochester Cathedral; Southwark Cathedral; St Paul's Cathedral; St Albans Cathedral; Chelmsford Cathedral; St Edmundsbury Cathedral; Norwich Cathedral; Ely Cathedral; Peterborough Cathedral; Leicester Cathedral; Coventry Cathedral; Birmingham Cathedral; Lichfield Cathedral; Derby Cathedral; Southwell Minster; Lincoln Cathedral; Sheffield Cathedral; Wakefield Cathedral; Manchester Cathedral; Chester Cathedral; Liverpool Cathedral; Blackburn Cathedral; Bradford Cathedral; York Minster; Ripon Cathedral; Durham Cathedral; Newcastle Cathedral; and Carlisle Cathedral
24 July 2007 The Extreme Cello Monopoly Board Challenge London, specifically Old Kent Road; Whitechapel Road; The Angel, Islington; Euston Road; Pentonville Road; Pall Mall; Whitehall; Northumberland Avenue; Bow Street; Marlborough Street; Vine Street; The Strand; Fleet Street; Trafalgar Square; Leicester Square; Coventry Street; Piccadilly; Regent Street; Oxford Street; Bond Street; Park Lane; and Mayfair.
21–30 July 2008 The Extreme Cello Four Peaks Challenge Ben Nevis (Scotland); Scafell Pike (England); Snowdon (Wales); Carrauntoohil (Ireland)
26 April 2009 Extreme Cello do the Sheffield Half-Marathon Three locations en route
24 July-6 August 2010 The Extreme Cello Coast-to-Coast Challenge 38 locations between St Bees (Cumbria) and Robin Hood's Bay (North Yorkshire), whilst walking 193 miles
22 April 2012 Extreme Cello London Marathon Greenwich Park to the Mall (26.2 miles running), performing at start and occasionally en route
15–20 August 2014 "Bordering on Madness" Travelling the length of Hadrian's Wall, performing at a variety of locations along the way
20 July-4 August 2016 Extreme Cello's Pier Pressure Performing on all 58 surviving seaside piers in Great Britain in the space of 14 days

Discography

To date the Extreme Cellists have not released any recordings of their performances although some videos are available on various social media.[8]

References
  1. BCC (3 August 2006) (3 August 2006). "Extreme cellists scale cathedrals". BBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  2. http://www.extreme-cello.com/
  3. Bates, Stephen (4 August 2006). "Cello trio's rooftop tour". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  4. "Height of ambition as cellists eye mountain challenge". Yorkshire Post. 28 May 2008.
  5. Bates, Theunis (23 July 2010). "Extreme Cellists Hit the High Notes". London: AOL News. Archived from the original on 27 August 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  6. Charity, Aspire (23 April 2011). "Extreme Cellists at the London Marathon". London: Aspire. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  7. "Sheffield cellists perform on every UK pier in two weeks". The Star. Sheffield. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  8. Dawson, J F. "Extreme Cellists on Ben Nevis". Retrieved 2 June 2011.
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