The Sitka International Cello Seminar culminated in a pop-up cello presentation at Harbor Mountain Brewing Company on Sunday evening. (KCAW/McKenney)

The Sitka Music Festival recently wrapped up its 54th summer season in the island community, featuring a month of classical music performances and artists from around the world.

The festival culminated in a pop-up cello presentation Sunday evening at Harbor Mountain Brewing Company.

The event was a fresh take on classical music performance, reflecting a cornerstone of the festival’s philosophy: like pizza, classical music is meant to be shared.

Seven cellists sat throughout the brewery, intermixed with customers drinking beers and eating wood fired pizzas. They played Fauré’s “Pavane,” Haydn’s “Cello Concerto in C,” and even the theme song from “Game of Thrones.” With no one place to look, the audience members’ attention darted between soloing cellists around the room.

The musicians were here as part of the Sitka International Cello Seminar — a two-week intensive designed for emerging professional cellists. 

“Cellists, for whatever reason, love each other’s company,” said Zuill Bailey, artistic director of the Sitka Music Festival, and a Grammy award-winning cellist. 

He said they wanted to create a space for early-career cellists to commune together, meet Sitkans and learn from mentors and each other. Now, in its 12th year, the seminar covers not only musical instruction and performance, but also ways the young musicians can present and promote themselves, how they can take care of their bodies and why community is so important. 

Bailey said this year, mentors included a sports medicine doctor focused on performing arts medicine, a media specialist, the principal cellist from the Houston Symphony and a staff pianist.

“And we all live in the same building. That’s the key of it, all of this,” Bailey said. “We dine together, we rehearse together, we chatter together, we go on hikes together.” 

During their two weeks in Sitka, the cohort played for elders at the island’s assisted living home, put together a “cellobration” program, which started with a cello solo and added cellists as the performance progressed, and even played for the brown bears at Sitka’s bear sanctuary.

According to Bailey, getting out into the community is what it’s all about. The role of a musician, he said, is so much bigger than just playing their instrument. 

“I want to make sure that they are not a one trick pony,” he said. “I want to make sure they can play their instruments, but they can also use those assets as human beings to really bring community together, which is kind of what concerts are. We bring people together to be inspired, to feel different, to be together, and then to kind of disperse and spread positivity and hope.” 

This year’s seminar had one of its largest applicant pools ever. William Harris is from the UK and was part of this year’s international cohort. This was the 24-year-old’s second time participating in the seminar. He’s an accomplished cellist, pianist and vocalist who is about to start a Doctorate of Music program at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

“I needed this to lower my blood pressure, because when I think about moving to Los Angeles, it’s a bit scary,” he said. 

During his time in Sitka, Harris said he enjoyed the chance to play exclusively with other cellists, which is quite rare, and it led to strong bonds.

“The main thing is just how connected we all feel with each other after two weeks,” he said. “We come in having one thing in common: the cello. And then we leave and we realize we have so many things in common, and also that we love Sitka and the people we meet and the music we play. And it’s a great time to explore new things in a safe place that is very friendly and open and warm and welcoming, if not a little bit rainy.”

For many years, according to Alex Serio, the festival’s executive director, music schools have taught musicians to practice in their rooms, learn their parts and then go audition. But, he said to function and thrive in society today, musicians — especially in the classical music community — need to be able to connect with people, bring in new audiences and make their music more accessible. 

“When you get out and play like today in a pizzeria with drinks, you’re going to reach a whole audience that may never come into a concert hall,” Serio said. “So you’re providing access to classical music and you’re spreading the art you love with other people.” 

Harris, the British cellist, agreed. He said going to a concert is very often formal, but music should be accessible because the whole point is to share it with people. 

“If you’re only willing to do it in a formal setting, then I think we’ve kind of missed the point,” Harris said. “We should be exploring all ways that people can enjoy music because it’s not always people that want to sit down and listen. Music should just be able to wash over you. And it’s so perfect here because there are so many wonderful places, and people are so supportive of the festival and the seminar that it seems to be part of Sitka life in the summer, which is wonderful.” 

Back at the brewery, the musicians wrapped up their music, put their cellos away and ordered some pizzas and pints. Then they sat at a long table for one last dinner, elbow to elbow, cellist to cellist, before hopping on a plane and heading back to their various corners of the world.