Student attends cello master class

Rowan Mendel of Sparta was among 14 student cellists from around the world who gathered for a week-long cello master class in Italy.

The class was taught by Raphael Wallfisch, a renowned British cellist, as well as acclaimed cellists Sebastian Comberti from the United Kingdom and Roel Dieltiens from Belgium.

The class takes place in Tereglio, a small medieval village in the Garfagnana mountain region in Tuscany, Italy, every year in late August.

The students have lessons, practice, listen in on other classes, learn technique, play together as a group and perform individually.

The residents are invited to individual recitals in their local chapel and the ensemble concert in their church at the end of the week.

The student musicians came from the U.K., Switzerland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, the Czech Republic and the United States.

The program, in its 10th year, accepts 12 to 14 students at the conservatory level through auditions.

Mendel is a junior at Sparta High School, where he is the principal cellist of the Honors Philharmonic.

He also plays in the New Jersey Youth Orchestra in New Providence and the Sussex County Youth Orchestra, where he mentors younger musicians on Saturdays during the school year.

He to pursue his passion for music and cello in college.

“It was a fun experience to meet people from other countries that enjoy playing cello as much as I do,” he said about the master class. “All the teachers were very kind and encouraging. I appreciated the opportunity to study and perform in another country. Learning from other professional cellists will only help me become a better cellist.”