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Laura Metcalf
Cellist Laura Metcalf, renowned worldwide as a passionate solo and chamber musician, has been acclaimed for her “brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and described as “a cellist whose passion for music is as evident as her artistry and talent” (I care if you listen). She has performed throughout the US and on six continents, including South Africa, Nepal, Argentina, Qatar, Mongolia, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, and Australia. Laura’s debut solo album on the Grammy-winning label Sono Luminus reached #7 on the Billboard Charts, and was called “a way forward for classical music” by AllMusic. As a sought-after chamber musician and collaborator, Laura is drawn to projects that push boundaries and expand the definition of classical chamber music. Boyd Meets Girl, her duo with her husband, classical guitarist Rupert Boyd, tours worldwide including appearances at Caramoor, Festival Napa Valley, the Morgan Library, Moab Music Festival, Newport Classical and many more, has reached #3 on the Billboard Chart, has had their music streamed over 3 million times on Spotify alone, and will premiere a double concerto written for them by Clarice Assad in 2024. Laura also performs regularly with the popular cello-percussion quartet Break of Reality, selected for an ongoing world tour as musical ambassadors of the US State Department. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Laura became the founding cellist of The Overlook, a string quartet dedicated towards building a more representative musical tradition, which has already been presented by the Kaufman Center, Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has appeared as a guest with such renowned ensembles as Eighth Blackbird (with whom she premiered a concerto for sextet and orchestra with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra), The Knights, ETHEL and more, and appears regularly as principal cellist of the IRIS Collective in Memphis, TN. As the cellist of string quintet Sybarite5 from 2008-2021, the first-ever string quintet to win the Concert Artists Guild competition and reach #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts, she toured extensively, performing in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Library of Congress, and countless other major venues. Laura is also a concert curator and artistic director, having co-founded the weekly Sunday morning concert series GatherNYC and the Unfiltered Music Festival at Fotografiska New York, as well as guest curating for the Museum of Arts and Design and Wave Hill. She has appeared onstage with artists including Adele, John Legend, Cher, Shawn Mendes and Nas. As a devoted educator, Laura has given masterclasses and workshops at Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory and countless others, and holds a cello faculty position at Riverdale Country School. Laura lives in New York City with her husband and young son Milo.
"I don't think I've heard such an alive, intoxicating record for a long time...it's gorgeous...an utter star of a record"Classical Nowhere
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"A rich and rewarding album."Jerey ShatanAn Earful
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"One for loving replaying...[Metcalf is] a major talent to be welcomed."Rafael de AchaRafael Music Notes
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"A most beautiful recital that proclaims Laura's arrival as a major present-day cellist."Grego Applegate EdwardsGapplegate Classical and Modern Review
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"This disc of a flat-out winner."Greg HettmansbergerWhat Greg Says
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"They play like one, with a harmony of purpose as sure as their intonation."Guy RickardsGramophone
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"A brilliant introduction to a cellist whose passion for music is as evident as her artistry and talent."
"First Day is a mixtape of the highest calibre: one cannot listen to the album without feeling lighter, brighter, and thoroughly wooed by end of it."Joanne LamI care if you listen
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"Beguiling… fascinating… enchanting… their mutual understanding is manifest in every bar, not least the way they listen to each other.”Guy RickardsGramophone
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“There's something for everyone on the sixty-five-minute recording, and it's all the better for being performed so magnificently.” Textura
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"Her seamless, singing legato lines above the staff amount to a masterclass in control and deep listening."
"The cellist and pianist brilliantly address the music's intense rhythmic interplay and extended lyrical passages."Jed DistlerGramophone
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"There is a sense of lightness and joy that permeates Boyd Meets Girl, the works are uniformly a pleasure to listen to, and, no doubt, to perform – but there is also plenty to sink your teeth into.”
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"...when she breaks into a little Poulenc song at the end, the listener is likely to have to be restrained from taking off into the stratosphere. "James ManheimAllmusic
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"Metcalf has a lovely tone and fine legato. An excellent CD."The Whole Note
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"Laura Metcalf’s new cello recital spans the globe with greater ease than any frequent flier.."

"There are almost too many highlights to mention separately. "Brian ReinhartMusicweb International
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