Manchester Community Music School Cellist Roric Cunningham Wins Portsmouth Symphony Concerto Competition

Manchester Community Music School Cello student Roric Cunningham wowed judges at the Portsmouth Symphony Concerto Competition on Saturday, April 15, 2017. His outstanding performance of Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191 I. Allegro, won the competition and the honor of playing his concerto with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra on June 11th.

“A fabulous and entirely compelling performance, start to finish,” stated Ivy Turner, professional cellist, and Executive Director of KentMusic. “Superb technique and very musical playing. Bravo [to Roric} on his superb preparation, stage presence, and absolute focus.”

“Roric handled the technical challenges of his piece with apparent ease, and his understanding of the musical challenges was equally impressive,” added Mimi Bravar, professional violist and University of New Hampshire faculty member. She went on to praise Roric’s “beautiful, mature playing”.

Rory has been studying cello with Harel Gietheim, at the Manchester Community Music School for 3 years. "Rory is such a unique talent and I'm very happy to see him blossoming into an extremely promising young artist,“ noted Mr. Gietheim. “He has made tremendous progress over the last couple of years. It's great to see him also being a role model and inspiring my other students and his peers."

The Manchester Community Music School is dedicated to providing high-quality music education and performance opportunities for students of all ages and abilities. For more information about the Music School visit the website at www.mcmusicschool.org or call the Music School office at 603-644-4548.