Cellist Yehuda Hanani’s charismatic playing and profound interpretations bring him acclaim and reengagements across the globe. An extraordinary recitalist, he is committed to extending the range of the cello repertoire and to collaborating with performers in many artistic realms. His engaging chamber music with commentary series, Close Encounters with Music, has captivated audiences across the U.S. and Canada. In June, Mr. Hanani and a quintet will perform at the Catskill Mountain Foundation (map) in Hunter, NY and at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA.

With regard to the title, Close Encounters with Music, do you suspect that science fiction relates to many people’s reaction to the prospect of listening to classical music? You have worked with actress Sigourney Weaver and other well-known performers, can you tell us a little about this work and how you have been able to expand the range of the cello repertoire?

The title of the series is not related to science fiction as much as to the literal meaning of the words, the aim being to draw audiences into the world of chamber music through ideas and themes; to remove barriers and make it relevant and IMPORTANT in our lives. After all, these great artists tell about the human experience and give us a better understanding of ourselves and our struggles, our fears, our joys in the most exalted way possible.

As it happens, Sigourney Weaver did participate in some of our concerts, but not as an extraterrestrial being but as a fabulous narrator on a night that was dedicated to music inspired by Shakespeare. She was, alternately, Ophelia, walking barefoot on the stage; a spurned lover from one of the sonnets; Sylvia, the beloved mysterious figure in “Who is Sylvia?” and so on. We also had a piece written for percussion, cello and narration which she premiered with me.

Some of the ways of bringing music out of the conventional confines is to cross over into acting, dance, art, and film—all of which we have employed with the most outstanding artists: David Parsons choreographed a tango for us; Richard Chamberlain read from Henry James’ The American in a concert about the Gilded Age (and will be our guest again at the Frick Collection in October); Jane Alexander read from Wharton’s House of Mirth in conjunction with a piece we commissioned to celebrate the centenary of its publication and starred in a rare melodrama set to music by Robert Schumann. So there’s a sense of adventure and connection.

Another instance where music was directly related to life and politics was when we scheduled a special concert as part of the community effort to highlight the dangers of the St. Lawrence cement plant—by extolling the beauty of the Hudson River and commissioning a new work, “River Songs” to the words of Walt Whitman in a concert we called “Revolutionary Etudes—the Music of Political Protest.”

As Artistic Director of Close Encounters with Music which has drawn enthusiastic audiences from Arizona to the Berkshires, how do you approach the challenge of reaching a wider audience?

I think that by “curating” programs, by linking together musical works and composers that relate to a larger picture (historical, political, aesthetic), and by bringing the finest colleagues to play for the series, we have tremendous credibility and an audience that will follow us on our cultural journeys.

Are you planning on bringing Close Encounters with Music to other mountain ranges in the U.S. in addition to the Berkshires and the Catskills? Do you have a special interest in reaching rural audiences?

Of course, I perform all over the world, from Australia to China to South America, to Mexico to Europe and Israel. As far as Close Encounters, we’ve been at sea level in the deserts of Phoenix and Scottsdale, in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Cincinnati and Omaha, as well as the substantial elevations of Denver, Calgary and so forth. It’s not so much the divide between urban and rural as the receptivity of audiences to this innovative concept and to chamber music in general. More and more, there’s been decentralization of cultural power centers, and the arts have radiated out and thrive in more nurturing and personalized environments.

You have performed and studied with so many world-renowned artists like the cellist Pablo Casals. Can you tell us how he influenced your life as an artist?

Music is one of the last, if not the last, discipline which is taught in the old master-apprentice tradition. There are no shortcuts and no long-distance credit courses to absorb not only the instrumental skills but the entire received wisdom which cannot be notated on a page. It was a great privilege to still catch Casals towards the end of his unusually long career. He was ninety and I was twenty. To take in his entire pre-corporate, pre-commercial presence where Art was the supreme concern and a way of life was absolutely invaluable. While his teaching may not have always been pedagogically correct, he changed forever how I look at a piece of music—with structural and emotional understanding, with a holistic view and with concern for the composers’ intentions. Our entire arsenal of tools as players—technique, intonation, color, rhythmic treatment is all at the service of the message.

You will be offering master classes in the cello at the Catskill Mountain Foundation (map) this summer. Can you tell us something about your teaching methods and goals for your students?

This is what I pass along to my students. They come to me at a very high level of proficiency and we right away plunge into questions of meaning, content and intent, expressiveness, originality of voice, and establish a direct relationship with the composer rather than copying existing CD’s and hackneyed, established and conventional modes of performance. In my interpretation, Icarus plunged into the ocean because he was flying with wings that were designed by his father. They were not his own and, in the end, literally, didn’t fly. We’re going to have an international group of cellists, plus violin and pianists, at our September seminar and we’re all looking forward to interacting with the community and absorbing the beauty and landscapes that inspired a previous generation of artists.