Gary Guth
Cello
Retired public school String Instrument Instructor and Orchestra Director. Taught in schools for about 35 years, at all levels, elementary school, middle school and junior high school, high school, and university levels. I continue to teach private instrumental music lessons, and remain quite active as a performer, participating currently in six different performing ensembles, ranging from the TCO (cello), and another smaller Chinese Orchestra (cello, zhongruan and erhu), a Chinese choir, a baroque chamber ensemble featuring period baroque instruments (baroque violin and viola), a university symphony orchestra, and a jazz fusion band (electric violin).
I became extremely fascinated with traditional Chinese music, partially as a result of my serious interest and participation in Chinese martial arts, which inspired me to try my hand at erhu after loving the beauty of the instrument as so often used in Chinese martial arts films, and others. My masters degree is in Violin Performance, and so it seemed a “natural flow” from that to erhu, however currently I primarily perform cello in my two Chinese orchestras.
My love of Chinese music also later led me to try my hand at at pipa and zhongruan, both of which I also own and enjoy playing. It seemed natural for me to try these wonderful instruments, as I am also a skilled guitarist in jazz, popular styles, and classical style.
I also own and play liuqin. In addition, I own a guzheng, and just for my own enjoyment, sometimes play simple and basic techniques on that beautiful instrument, although it is a huge “stretch” to call myself a guzheng player! In addition, I own a closely related 16 string instrument, a Vietnamese đàn tranh.
Chinese traditional music, as well as more modern music by Chinese composers, has for me, an inherent distinct beauty and fascination, and I so very much enjoy participating in TCO!