GEORG MERTENS
TEACHER, PERFORMER (CELLO & GUITAR), COMPOSER & ARRANGER
LIVING TODAY IN KATOOMBA, BLUE MOUNTAINS, AUSTRALIA
UPCOMING CONCERTS (click here)
_______________________________
- SHORT BIO -
BEGINNINGS
1952 - Born in Aachen / Germany as the middle one of 7 children.
Each of us 2 brothers and 4 sisters played at least one instrument as did my parents. We had our own family string quartet.
Wanted to play cello since the age of 4.
1960 - Learned recorder at the age of 8 for a year - as a condition to get a discount for cello lessons available for large families.
1961 - Commencing cello lessons at the age of 9 with Herr Steinhauer, an old man at this stage, student of Hugo Becker.
1972 - High School HSC (Gymnasium Abitur). School prize for music.
1972-78 - Tertiary studies at "Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg / Germany
(1972-73 - Also: one year studying Geography / Geology)
(1976-78 - Also: Training in client centered psychotherapy / Counselling in Education)
1973 Masterclasses with Enrico Mainardi (scholarship) and Janos Starker.
1976 Diploma teaching and performance Cello [studying under Marcal Cervera & Christof Henkel]
1978 Diploma teaching and performance Guitar [studying under Anton Stingl]
Note: I bite my lips, because I played a wrong note, a habit which stayed far too long!
PROFESSIONAL LIFE in GERMANY
1972 - today: Teacher of cello & guitar
1973-78 - Concert tours including France, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Germany
- Conducting chamber music master classes in Salzburg (Austria) and Königstein
1978-80 - Cello & guitar teacher at Musikschule Steglitz, Berlin
- Guitar Concert series in old village churches of Berlin
- Guitar Concert series "Musik in alten Heidekirchen" North Germany
1980-84 - Cello & guitar teacher at Kreismusikschule Schleswig-Flensburg, head of string department
1983 - My first recording, a vinyl LP at Lüneburg
(in English) "Old and New Music for Classical Guitar",
AUSTRALIA
1st January 1985 : Emigration to Australia
MOVING ON 1989 - I gave away my sheet music of Bach, Brahms Beethoven with copied fingerings & bowings of J. Starker, which I had to use as a student.
I bought new editions of the cello works by Bach, Beethoven and Brahms to write my own fingerings & bowings in.
This was the beginning of my comeback to cello.
I played the works of the 3 composers for the first time completely and chose as a new work Benjamin Britten Solo Suite No 2.
I surpassed the standard of my final exam in 1976 within 3 months.
PERFORMING / TEACHING
1986 Lecturer at UNE, Armidale - composition & music theory / cello & double bass
(I had to give up this position because of being an illegal immigrant without a work permit)
1987-89 - Tutor at Coffs Harbour Music Education Centre
1990-2015 - Teaching at Mitchell Conservatorium Bathurst
From 1989 - 2003: About 2000 ensemble performances including:
weddings, functions, restaurants with:
1989 / 99 The Winbourne String Quartet
1989 - 1996 The Tarantella Trio
1992 - 2013 The Blue Mountains Trio ( tours to East Asia, several Australian tours)
1990 - 2015 The Paganini Duo (including concerts at jenolan Caves / tours to East Asia, several Australian tours)
2001 - Cello solo Concert tour of East & West Germany
2009 - Cello solo Concerts in Ireland
2013/14 Rainforest Concerts at the "Rainforest Hut", Blue Mountains National Park, part of "Scenic World"
2014 - 2019 "Cello & Chocolate" at the "Gingerbread House" Katoomba
Duos with Giuseppe Zangari (cello & guitar), Trish McMeekin & Ella Jamieson (cello duos)
2015 - Duos with Heathcliffe Auchinachie (cello & guitar)
2015 - Duos with Ella Jamieson (cello duo)
2015 - Solo and Duo concerts at Ilford Church
THE JENOLAN CAVES CONCERTS
Today the main road is closed, the famous Cathedral Chamber is closed due to
bushfires and flood damage.
* Live videos from the Jenolan Caves Concerts - cello solo (click)
* Live videos from the Jenolan Caves Concerts - The Paganini Duo (violin & guitar - click)
The story of violinist Gustaw Szelski (1950-2021) including playing in the ensembles:
The Winbourne Quartet, The Tarantella Trio, The Blue Mountains Trio & The Paganini Duo (click here)
- (1996-2001 - Regular entertainment with the Blue Mountains Trio at Jenolan Caves House)
- 1997 - 2013 - 16 Years of monthly cello solo concerts at Jenolan Caves.
The 200 Cello Concerts at Jenolan Caves constitute the longest series of cello solo concerts in history! - 2003 - 2013 - 140 Concerts at Jenolan Caves with the Paganini Duo
- 2007/8 - Concerts at Wellington Caves (cello solo & the Paganini Duo)
- 2017 - Jenolan Caves - 3 Concerts for cello solo for the International Congress of the Speleological Society
2019 - By chance I got offered a Viola da Gamba. After receiving a bow I performed on it for the first time 3 weeks later.
2019 - Refurbished my first own cello - bought 50 years ago - to a Baroque cello with gut strings played with a Baroque bow. I had found out, it was originally a 3 stringed "bass violin" - before the name cello existed - made before 1600 converted to a 4 stringed cello between 1700 to 1800.
From 2020
I started Outdoor Tea House Garden Concerts in our own garden - without booking complications: Concert planning during the Covid period was disastrous
From 2022 - House Concerts in my music room (in case it rains)
* Live videos from our Concert performances as Cello Duo
plus Duos to the pieces of "My CELLO METHOD" (click)
The PATREON ONLINE CELLO COURSE
During Covid restrictions I started offering an online course learning cello via video lessons on patreon based on My CELLO METHOD.
This includes a video to each lesson of the method, offering detailed instructions (ideal for learning remotely).
- The patreon course can be joined for a monthly fee from just $5.
Higher tiers are offering: questions, which will be answered asap, free sheet music, plus a monthly online lesson
(click here for the Patreon Online Course Link)
RECORDINGS
LP (vinyl) "Alte und neue Musik für klassische Gitarre" (Lüneburg/Germany) 1983
Cassette "The Blue Cassette" Guitar solo 1990
CD "Blue Mountains Gypsies" (Paganini Duo) violin & guitar/cello 1996
CD "Music for Grand Dining" (Blue Mountains Trio) violin/cello/piano 1997
CD "Music at Jenolan Caves", cello solo recorded in the Cathedral Chamber 2000
CD "Classical Guitar" guitar solo 2002
CD "Sounds of Timber" (Jodie Goldney & G. Mertens) various recorders & cello/guitar 2004
CD "An Hour in Heaven" (Paganini Duo) violin & guitar/cello 2007
CD "Cello Favourites" (G Mertens & Gavin Tipping) cello & piano 2008
CD "Cello Solos" - Live Recordings form The Jenolan & Wellington Caves Concerts 2009
2 CD's: J.S.Bach - "The Six Suites for cello solo" 2012
CD "25 Years of Performing together" (Paganini Duo) 2014
CD "An Album dedicated to the Love of the lower Strings" - cello solo 2017
CD "Cello Duos with Georg Mertens & Ella Jamieson" - Live recordings from our concerts 2019
To view all tracks, click the link here below:
Old fashioned CD's - Purchase & Downloads including CD Baby, iTunes & Amazon
ARTICLES
An Analysis of Bow Technique (2008 click)
The 6 Cello Suites by J.S.Bach - History - Analysis - Audio - Video (2012 - click)
The Structure of the Song of the Australian Magpie (1998 click here)
This is no Poetry - Poems by a crazy man with no feeling for Rhyme" (1998 click)
Poems from the Cold Mountain / Han Shan (1998 / 2002 click)
COMPOSITIONS
1996 - Ideas upon the River Maros for violin & guitar
1999 - Cathedral Ciaconna for cello solo (click)
- Fantasy on Jenolan Caves for cello solo
2000 - Variations on "Maytime (Maienzeit)" for cello solo
2003 - Multicultural Suite for various recorders & cello
2004 - Anniversary Valse for violin & cello
- Cantilena f violin & guitar
2006 - Tango Cello-guitar for cello solo (click)
2007 - Variations on "My Fiddle is broken, my Heart is broken" violin & guitar
2008 - A Cello Version on "Spanish Romance" (click)
2010 - Variations on Sakura, Sakura for cello solo (click)
2013 - Rainforest Sonata for solo cello -
1st Movement (click)
3rd Movement (click)
2014 - 5 Preludes for the Love of the Sound of the lower strings
(here Prelude No 3, click)
2010-2018 Guitar Method
1985-2023 "My CELLO METHOD" in 6 Volumes (click)
Revised edition including links to a corresponding lesson on patreon plus a Duo recording on Youtube
IMPROVISATIONS
2003 - Arabian Improvisation (click)
2005 - Improvisation in Imitation of the Erh Hu (click)
2011 - Didgeridoo (click)
ARRANGEMENTS & TRANSCRIPTIONS
for:
Cello solo
2 Cellos
Cello & Guitar
Violin & Guitar
Violin & Cello
Recorder & guitar / cello
Guitar
Viola da Gamba
Compositions & arrangements are available from:
My Sheet Music Page (click)
or also
Sheet Music Plus (SMP) (click)
BROADCASTS
The 'Ray Martin Show', 'The Great Outdoors', 'Sydney Weekender', 'Beyond 2000','Good Morning Australia', many radio stations including the ABC and 2MBS FM
1992/3 - 2 MBS FM Radio recordings of the complete 6 Suites for cello solo by JS Bach /
Benjamin Britten solo Suite No 2 & Brahms Sonata e minor
1994 - Schubert Sonata for Arpeggione live on air,
part of the "20 years of 2 MBS FM Radio" celebrations
1992 - 1998 Publishing the "Directory of Musicians in the Blue Mountains".
1994 -1998 Publishing the "Directory of Artist and Musicians of the Blue Mountains, Penrith and Lithgow (published today in digital format)
Music in MOVIES:
2012 - The following 7 music pieces recorded and arranged or composed by Georg Mertens had been selected for the movie "Fils de Grece"(Greece):
Asturias - Meditation - Spanish Romance - Variations on Sakura, Sakura - Tango Cello-Guitar - Didgeridoo - Vivaldi Largo II in e minor.
2014 - The music of "Didgeridoo" & "Arabian Improvisation" had been chosen for a documentation on Asylum seekers in Germany / Munich Rindermarkt.
English Title: First class asylum
NEXT CONCERT (to be announced)
Tea House Garden Concerts Katoomba
(If interested, please email: georgcello@hotmail.com)
By donation at exit
Ilford Church (For directions click here)