Tristan Latchford

by Tristan Latchford

 

This October, Harmonicham is welcoming Julia Kostraba to the United Kingdom to perform in Cambridgeshire, and in Paris with Cambridge Voices. I'm also delighted that she has chosen to perform 'Straight Down' (Op.56a) as part of this program – last performed and recorded by New York cellist Chris Gross in 2020.

Date added: 14/10/2026

I've had the pleasure of working with Julia a number of times over the past four years (since we met at Peabody). Her playing is warm but excited, somehow always ahead of the beat – a feature that has earned her a modest reputation as a formidable Chamber music player. Although a controversial idea among some, I have found that this skill is useful in the context of larger ensembles, and as a result Julia has been present at almost every performance of my chamber or orchestral music in the United States.

Beyond this, Julia exhibits a remarkable attention to detal and a soloistic voice that reaches out equally with a quiet confidence and infectious enthusiasm for what she is playing. My first encounter with this was hearing her perform a piece written for the 'Compose on the Clock' event held at Peabody, where groups of performers and composers get together and create a work within the space of 24 hours to be performed in the Arthur Friedheim library. Despite tiredness, and all manner of trials, she presented a serene piece that she performed with the same lightness and joy as she would have with sleep and the wind behind her. 

Therefore, when I mentioned to her the potential opportunity of a performance in the U.K., I was delighted when she said yes, and humbled when she even suggested to program a piece of mine. Not content with picking just any piece, Julia has chosen to perform 'Straight Down (Op.56a)', which was written for the Cello virtuoso Chris Gross whose express command when commissioning the piece was 'write me a challenge'. 

In the context of this program, it starts a journey through the work of Robert Muczynski, Bach's Cello Suite No.5 in C minor (BWV1011) and comes to a close with a piece by Anastasia Heers (b. 2003), commissioned exclusively for this program. 

I very much hope you can join us, for what is going to be a very exciting and unusual concert full of music not often seen in programs, that each take their own wandering journey. 'Not-seen roads'? Something like that.