Meet Jerry Grossman
Jerry Grossman will host a Masterclass on Wednesday, July 23, and performs on July 25 @ 7:30 pm and Sunday, July 27 @ 4:00 pm.
What is your earliest memory of classical music?
I can remember that at the age of three, I knew which button to press on the family phonograph to make the music start. My father left either the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, with David Oistrach, or Scheherezade on the turntable. I still have those vinyl records!
When did you start to play and were you focused on the cello from the start?
I started on the piano when I was 6, then began cello in fourth grade. My two older brothers played piano and violin, so my parents envisioned a family piano trio. I was excited to start, but believe it or not, when I appeared for my very first lesson and was presented with my little cello, I thought, “Aha, so that’s what a cello is.” I had no idea. I didn’t practice much until the summer after eighth grade. That’s when a cellist friend of my brother’s stored a big box of cello music in our house. I helped myself to it and got hooked.
Who was your most influential mentor?
My biggest influence in my high school years was Ben Zander. Hardly a day passes that I don’t reflect on something I first learned in one of his Saturday classes at the New England Conservatory. I’ve been so privileged to have encountered a great many extraordinary musicians throughout my career. In no particular order, a short list would include Pablo Casals, Rudolf Serkin, Sandor Vegh, and more than a few amazing conductors such as Kubelik, Abaddo, and the uniquely amazing Carlos Kleiber.
Have you ever had an unusual concert experience when something did not go as planned?
In my early twenties, I had rather big hair, and when I played, it would get caught under the fingers of my left hand unless I wore a headband. Once, after walking onto the Tully Hall stage to play a Brahms sextet on a Music from Marlboro concert, I didn’t have my headband on, so, with my colleagues and the audience waiting, I sheepishly walked off to get it. In Tully Hall, it is not obvious how to open the door to leave the stage, but thankfully, after a few seconds, someone backstage opened it for me. By the way, if memory serves me, Ron Copes was in that group.
Where is your favorite place to perform and why?
Jordan Hall in Boston. No contest. It’s hard to sound bad in acoustics that good.
How many years have you been coming to Kneisel Hall, and do you have a favorite memory from your time here?
My first summer at Kneisel Hall was 1987. I’ve missed only two or three years since then. I have no single favorite memory. I will say that working with the likes of Roman Totenberg and Artur Balsam was memorable. And, of course, getting to know and perform with Seymour Lipkin over 30 or so years is a vast source of happy memories.
In what ways has Keisel Hall influenced you as a performer and a teacher?
Kneisel Hall provided me with a much-needed contrast to playing opera at the Met year after year.
What do you do in your free time?
I love to cook. I’m not particularly imaginative, but there’s something therapeutic about cutting food up into little pieces with a very sharp knife and following a new recipe. I also maintain a 120-gallon coral reef aquarium in my living room. And I’m the official litter box scooper for my three cats!