Evva Mizerska - cello expert
Cello
Search Videos:  
Receive new weekly videos by e-mail:  
Evva Mizerska's latest cello videos
About Evva Mizerska
Evva MizerskaNamed "rising star" by The Strad magazine, Evva Mizerska is an award-winning cellist, recitalist and chamber musician. Highly sought-after performer, she has appeared as a soloist or recitalist in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Room (Queen Elizabeth Hall), St George's Bristol amongst the others in the UK; other performances include duo or trio recitals in Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Germany, Italy and Poland as well as live broadcasts for the BBC3 and the Polish Radio.

Born in Poland, Evva graduated from the Frédéric Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. She later completed the PGDip and MMus studies at Trinity College of Music in London, where she learnt with Richard Markson. She has also received tuition from Yonty Solomon, Bernard Greenhouse, Raphael Sommer and Erling Blöndal Bengtsson. Evva has been awarded numerous prizes, including the first prize at the Seventh International Leoš Janáček Competition in Brno, the Vivian Joseph Cello Prize and the Leonard Smith Duo Prize in London as well as scholarships and grants in the UK, Germany and the USA.
Evva currently lives in London where she is a cello lecturer at Morley College. Her chamber music partners include pianist Emma Abbate (Evva&Emma Duo) and the Veles Ensemble (a string trio, of which she is a founding member).

Evva's recording label is Toccata Classics, where she has released three CDs with pianist Emma Abbate and two others with Veles Ensemble. She has also featured in recordings for Naxos and the Polish label DUX.

Do you have a question for Evva?
Post a question, comment or special request:
You may: Login  or  
Otherwise, fill out the form below to post your comment:
Add your name below:


Add your email below: (to receive replies, will not be displayed or shared)


For verification purposes, please enter the word MUSIC in the field below



Questions, Comments, Requests:

Halina * VSM MEMBER * on September 7, 2022 @7:09 am PST
Hello Eve! It's good to have you back, I was already missing your video lessons. As always very didactic, playing Lee is never very easy, but with his explanations they are much more pleasant to study and play.
reply
Evva - host, on September 7, 2022 @8:28 am PST
Thank you as always, Halina! I do love Lee's studies because they're so melodic hence very pleasant to play and then the technical work out doesn't feel like a burden. I hope you'll find it useful! Warm regards, Evva
Sandra * VSM MEMBER * on July 20, 2022 @6:56 am PST
Hi Evva, I downloaded "Pavane de la Belle..." by Ravel from VSM for cello and piano. The cello part is in tenor and treble clefs. I'm somewhat okay on tenor clef but what advice can you give for tackling treble clef.
Thanks, Sandra
reply
Fabrizio Ferrari - moderator and CEO, on July 20, 2022 @2:58 pm PST
Thank you, Sandra for your inquiry. I am sure Evva will be happy to answer you.

Evva, Sandra is talking about this arrangement of ours:

https://www.virtualsheetmusic.com/score/PavaneBelleDormantVcPf.html


Thank you!
Evva - host, on July 20, 2022 @4:57 pm PST
Hello Sandra,
Thank you for reaching out. Before I answer, could I just ask if you mean reading the treble clef on the cello or rather playing in these positions? Please, bear with me - I am in Europe so may answer at different time than expected! Warm regards, Evva
Sandra * VSM MEMBER * on July 21, 2022 @6:43 am PST
Hi Evva, I understand that we are in different time zones and it's okay.
I read treble clef on the piano and flute, so it's not the reading of it. I think it's more of where on the cello do I put my fingers. Where does it change from tenor to treble on the cello?
Thank you.
Evva - host, on July 21, 2022 @7:19 am PST
Thank you for clarifying it, Sandra. I think the best way to start is to place your thumb on the natural harmonic d (which is the d closest to the middle c) on the the D string (octave above the open D) and then find your D major scale using this position and the following fingerings: thumb d, e1, fsharp 2 and g3, then crossing to A string and using the same pattern until you reach note d' with the 3rd finger. This will be a starting point for higher positions but still an easy one to find. You can repeat the pattern going up starting with your thumb, but pressing it this time, playing scales E, F, G Major and so on; here the first notes of these scales will be still using the notes of the 1st octave moving up from the middle C. Playing in higher positions does not always involve using the thumb but you can use it as a pivot, reference, position finder (even though technically it is not easy to play with the thumb- I mean that it makes it easier because it serves as a substitute for an open string in the 1st position and in that way, a reference). In terms of where it changes - it is fluid. It would depend on how long you stay in a given position. If you stay in the higher position mainly, the composer could use the treble clef even for the notes starting from the middle C (although quite rarely they'd actually do it). Most often it switches from around note A(harmonic one octave up from open A string) and only if the melody is going to lead up quite high, otherwise tenor clef will be a better option.
I know the fact we have 3 clefs is quite confusing and there's no ready recipe on how to apply them so composers often make their own choices.
I hope this helps a little bit but please do let me know if you have more questions.
With best regards, Evva
Sandra * VSM MEMBER * on July 21, 2022 @3:52 pm PST
Thanks, Evva; that helps and I can play the D scale starting on the D string an octave up. Please look at the Pavane from Virtual Sheet Music that you were sent, measure 5. How would I play that E? I'm working on this!
Thanks again, Sandra
Evva - host, on July 22, 2022 @12:21 am PST
Yes, that's a tricky passage, this one. I have been contemplating it and its suggested fingerings the other day. There's no easy solution here because the melody keeps repeating hence forcing you to go back between the notes which are in a fifth interval so outside the classical thumb position. Then there's the dynamics which means you have to be quite careful with the glissando use. To find that e is not too hard because it's a natural harmonic a fifth above the harmonic a, so you need to check where you're aiming for,.aim for it and then slide the missing distance (touching, not pressing) till you find the note.
Evva - host, on July 22, 2022 @12:31 am PST
Following from my reply below: for the fingerings, I'd try two.options. bar 5: 3harmonic, 2 (pressed), stretch to thumb a (can be a harmonic, at least to begin with), then either slide with thumb to b, or use b1 and stretch (if your hand is big or flexible enough) to e3 (in that case pressing it is better than harmonic because of following to d2, then similarly in following bars.
Slightly easier alternative for the first two bars: e2 (not 3) harmonic, d1 then cross over to d string and a2 b3 then back to a string and e2 d1. Same in the next bar, then bar 7: e2, d1, stretch to harmonic a thumb, b1, c2.
Please let me know how it goes!
Best, Evva
Questions? Problems? Contact Us.
Norton Shopping Guarantee Seal