15th Anniversary Gala:

HOUSE CONCERT on an evening between July 30 to August 2, 2024.

Value: $100 each ticket (25 tickets available);

This is a wonderful, personal, and intimate opportunity to listen to and mingle with the principal cellist of the Boston Symphony, Blaise Déjardin. Come and enjoy a glass of wine while listening to Blaise perform some movements from the Bach Suites for Cello Solo.

This concert will be held between July 30 and August 2, 2024, while he is in town teaching at the International Cello Institute. We look forward to experiencing this with you!

The winning bidders will all be given instructions about specifics of the evening, such as arrival time and address closer to the event.

MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA CELLISTS

BETH RAPIER AND ANTHONY ROSS

Value: $1000; Minimum Bid: $500

This is a wonderful opportunity to host a house concert for your friends featuring Minnesota Orchestra Cellists Beth Rapier and Anthony Ross.

This (30 - 40 minute) program will include a potpourri of fun and entertaining cello duos. Dynamic leader of the Minnesota Orchestra’s cello section since 1991, prize-winning cellist Anthony Ross has appeared as soloist many times with the Orchestra. Beth Rapier joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 1986 and served as assistant principal cello from 1991 until 2022.

The winning bidder will arrange an indoor concert at the convenience of both the host and the performers, and it must occur before December 31st, 2024.

Value: $60 for both tickets; Minimum Bid: $50

Here is your chance to bid on two tickets to James Sewell Ballet’s spring show, “Pointed Humor,” at the Cowles Center for Dance in downtown Minneapolis. You have the choice of attending either Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 7:30 pm, or Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 2:00 pm.

James Sewell Ballet, now in its 34 th season, leaps onto the stage with bold new works featuring the highly-anticipated choreography of former JSB dancer and current member of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Shohei Iwahama. This remarkable evening includes a remount of James Sewell’s Doo-Be-Doo, which combines high-energy playful antics with stunning technical feats.

The winning bidder will receive instructions on how to contact Tom McNamee, Director of Development at the James Sewell Ballet, to arrange for their tickets to be left at Will Call on the performance date of their choice.

You can choose two tickets for one of the following Schubert Club concerts:

Value: $37 - $75 depending on the concert; Minimum Bid: $30

• HEATH QUARTET (Music in the Park Series) at St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ in St. Paul, Sunday, April 21, 4:00 PM.

• DANIEL HOPE, violin, and SIMON CRAWFORD-PHILLIPS, piano (International Artists Series) at the Ordway Concert. Hall in St. Paul, April 25, 7:30 PM or April 26, 10:30 AM.

The award-winning Heath String Quartet from Great Britain will perform works by J.S. Bach, Haydn, Bosmans, and Korngold. Daniel Hope is one of the most sought-after artists performing around the world today. Considered a cultural ambassador for the arts, he will be performing works by Enescu, Kreisler, Ravel, Schoenberg, Faure, and Franck.

The winning bidder will receive a voucher for two tickets for the concert date of their choice.

MINNESOTA GUITAR SOCIETY CONCERT, February 25, 2024 - 3pm

Value: $40 for both tickets; Minimum bid: $40

Since 2015, the members of SoloDuo – Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli – have been Artists in Residence at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Mela resides in Geneva, Switzerland, and teaches at the Conservatoire Populaire, while Micheli lives in Milan, Italy, and teaches at the University School of Music in Lugano, Switzerland.

The winning bidder will receive the tickets on the day of the auction.

$100 DOLLAR GIFT CERTIFICATE

Value: $100; Minimum Bid: $75

At the Lake Elmo Inn Restaurant, we believe food tastes best when it’s kept simple. We use the freshest ingredients and prepare them in a way that enhances their natural flavors and delights your taste buds. Our food has earned awards from noted establishments like Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine and the Minnesota Restaurant Association. However, the greatest compliments are raves and repeated reservations from patrons like you.

The winning bidder will receive the certificate on the day of the auction.

A PHOTOSHOOT OF YOUR CHOICE, INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP

Value: $100-$150; Minimum Bid: $75

A 1-hour photo session with Grace M. Alexander, violinist and photographer. This session can include anything from professional individual headshots to family photos (up to 10 people)! You will receive fully edited photos within 2 weeks of the session. Grace has experience with photographing people of all ages, in a variety of environments - and she looks forward to working with you!

Location of the session will be mutually agreed upon between Grace and the winning bidder, but must take place between July 14 and August 7, 2024.

A PORTRAIT PHOTO SHOOT

Value: $100-$150; Minimum Bid: $75

A Portrait Photo Shoot with Leslie Shank, Board Chair of ICI, former Assistant Concertmaster of The St Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Photographer. Photography has been a long time passion, and Leslie has done many publicity photos for local musicians, samples of her work shown below.

The winning bidder will schedule the session at a mutually agreeable time and it must occur before January 27, 2025.

SIGNED COPY AND AN EVENING CONVERSATION

Value of the Book: $29; Minimum Bid: $50

The Cello Stills Sings: A Generational Story of the Holocaust and of the Transformative Power of Music.

Author and former associate principal cello of the Minnesota Orchestra Janet Horvath, reveals the secrets of her family story in her award-winning, and inspiring book. You will receive an autographed copy and will delight in a stimulating evening of story-telling with Janet.

THREE OF THESE ARE AVAILABLE

Value: $20 each; Minimum Bid: $20 each

Hand thrown and custom made mugs by Heather Meyer from Muddy Paws Ceramics. The artist is based in Hollandale - Southeast, Minnesota.

NECKLACE AND MATCHING BRACELET

Value: $85; Minimum Bid: $70

Necklace & matching bracelet, made by Karla Bakke, of Placitas, New Mexico, made with yellow, white, and shades of brown glass seed beads. The pendant is fused glass made by a glass artist named Denise Elvrum, Placitas New Mexico.

CERTIFICATE FOR PERSONAL SOUND ADJUSTMENT ON ANY STRING INSTRUMENT

Value: $75; Minimum Bid: $50

World famous, prize-winning, violin maker David Folland is one of the great treasures of his generation of makers. We are so fortunate to have someone of his caliber available to adjust instruments in the Twin Cities area.

https://follandviolins.com/about/

FOUR BOW REHAIR CERTIFICATES FOR ANY STRING INSTRUMENT

Value: $85; Minimum Bid: $75

House of Note is a full service violin shop that has served the community since 1959. Bow repair and rehairs are offered for players of all levels, from beginners to Minnesota professionals.

SIGNED COPY

Value: $20; Minimum Bid: $20

Prize-winning author Marcia Peck’s exquisite novel, Water Music, transports us to Cape Cod, where this wise, funny, and deeply moving story unfolds over the course of a summer.

A cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra for her entire musical career, Marcia’s love for Cape Cod has been a strong and deep current throughout her life.

Value: $800; Minimum Bid: $500

You will feel like royalty in this gorgeous one-of-a-kind jacket by Twin Cities artist Susan Bradley, a nationally recognized clothing designer. The black net jacket features a stunning brocade gold/multi-colored yoke fashioned from a Japanese obi.

Value: $500; Minimum Bid: $250

Enjoy wearing these elegant 14K gold and pearl hoop earrings, appropriate for any occasion!

“SUNFLOWER SENTINEL” 14” X 24”

Value: $600; Minimum Bid: $350

“I take many photos of the prairie here in MN. This sunflower for the painting I photographed in a field is not typical. But there it was. Probably a seed dropped by a bird.

The gracefulness and rhythm of the prairie give me such a feeling of expanse and freedom and I love capturing that.” — Rebecca Tolle

“HUDDLE ON THE LAKE OF THE ISLES”

Value: $150; Minimum Bid: $100

“Depicting a scene from the 2022 Luminary Loppet on Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, Huddle on Lake of the Isles illustrates the possible warmth amidst bitter winter with this storied and lyrical gathering.”

— Leif Kristian Kutschera, Watercolorist and Interior Designer

A PRIVATE ONE-HOUR VIRTUAL CELLO SESSION

Value: $100; Minimum Bid: $75

Board member of the International Cello Institute, Ida Mercer, is based in Cleveland, Ohio, where she is an adjunct cello professor at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Executive Director of the Cleveland Cello Society, and a certified presenter/trainer in Paul Rolland’s string teaching method. Ida can focus the lesson on an overview of this method which systematically devised “good motion patterns”, to establish freely moving, balanced, and natural playing movements. Ida will happily tailor her presentation for a student (any skill level--- beginner, intermediate, advanced) OR a teacher who is interested in learning more about these Rolland “actions.”

The winning bidder will schedule the session at a mutually agreeable time and it must occur before January 27, 2025.

CHAMBER MUSIC COACHING (90 MIN)

Value: $100; Minimum Bid: $75

Do you play in a string quartet or piano trio….or are you the parent of a student who plays in a chamber ensemble? ICI faculty member, Laura Sewell, is an enthusiastic and experienced chamber music coach. She was the founding cellist of the internationally-acclaimed Lark Quartet, and later was the cellist in the locally-based Artaria Quartet. She has coached student groups at the Juilliard School, Madeline Island Music Camp, Stringwood, MacPhail Center for the Arts, and the Artaria Chamber Music School. She also loves to work with adult amateur chamber ensembles!

The winning bidder should be given instructions to contact Laura Sewell to set up a mutually agreed-upon date, time, and location for the coaching. The coaching must occur before January, 2025.

A PRIVATE ONE-HOUR CELLO LESSON

Value: $80; Minimum Bid: $70

Käthe is a graduate of The American Center for the Alexander Technique and of the Juilliard School. She did extensive post-graduate work with John Nicholls and with Pedro de Alcantara, author of Indirect Procedures, a Musician’s Guide to the Alexander Technique. In addition to an active performing and teaching career as a cellist she has a large practice in the Alexander Technique in New York City, with an emphasis on the performing arts.

Ms. Jarka has been on the faculties of the University of Richmond, Virginia and the Preparatory Division of the Peabody Conservatory, has served as chamber music assistant to the Juilliard Quartet, and as a coach for the Young Musicians Program of the Education Division of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

The winning bidder will schedule the session at a mutually agreeable time and must occur before January 27th, 2025.

A VIRTUAL ONE-HOUR MENTORSHIP SESSION

Value: $100; Minimum Bid: $75

If you are a young cellist interested in seeking advice on how to apply for college or graduate school you might be interested in this opportunity.

Anna Clift, Founder & Director of the International Cello Institute is offering a one-hour online meeting to offer advice to any age cellist wanting to refine their skills with taking interviews, writing college essays, graduate school applications and /or undergraduate school applications. Valuable information can be gained about how to organize your college applications in this session. Learn how to gauge what college or summer program fits your needs the best.