Orlando Cole facts for kids

Orlando Cole (born August 16, 1908 – died January 25, 2010) was a famous American cello teacher. He taught many talented musicians for decades. These students became soloists, chamber musicians, and lead cellists in top orchestras. Some of his well-known students include Lynn Harrell, Jonah Kim, and Marcy Rosen.

Orlando Cole's Early Life and Music School

Orlando Cole was born and grew up in Philadelphia. His father, Lucius Cole, was a violinist in the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1924, Orlando joined the first class at the Curtis Institute of Music. He studied the cello with Felix Salmond and graduated in 1934.

In 1927, he helped start a music group called the Swastika Quartet. In 1932, the group changed its name to the Curtis String Quartet. They named it after Mary Louise Curtis, who founded their school.

Working with Composer Samuel Barber

While at the Curtis Institute, Cole was friends with the composer Samuel Barber. Barber even dedicated his piece, the Cello Sonata, op. 6, to Cole. Cole and Barber worked closely on this music. They would read it page by page as Barber wrote it. They performed the piece for the first time in New York's Town Hall in 1933.

Barber also wrote his Quartet, op. 11, for the Curtis Quartet. This quartet includes the very famous Adagio. The group played this piece from Barber's handwritten notes for several years. Later, Barber made some big changes to it before it was published.

The audience loved the Adagio so much that the quartet had to play it again right away. Samuel Barber also wrote a piece for voice and string quartet called Dover Beach. It was based on a poem by Matthew Arnold. Barber himself sang the vocal part for its recording in 1935.

The Famous Curtis String Quartet

The Curtis String Quartet was a very important group in its time. They were known as the best string quartet in America before World War II. They were also the first touring quartet trained entirely in the United States. Plus, they were the first American quartet to tour Europe. They even performed for Mary of Teck, the Queen of George V of the United Kingdom.

The quartet went on two successful tours in the United Kingdom and Europe in 1936-37 and 1937-38. They planned to continue touring, but World War II started.

Back then, music recordings were rare, and chamber music was not very popular in the United States. The Curtis String Quartet helped change this. They gave over 5,000 concerts. Often, they were the first quartet many communities had ever heard. The group stayed together until 1981.

Orlando Cole's main cello was a 1739 'Sleeping Beauty' made by Domenico Montagnana. This special cello was given to him in 1952. The Curtis String Quartet made many of their best recordings with this instrument. These recordings included works by Dvořák, Smetana, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Debussy, and Ravel.

Orlando Cole's Teaching Career

Cole taught at the Curtis Institute of Music for 75 years. He started as an assistant to his own teacher, Felix Salmond. Later, he took over Salmond's teaching role.

After World War II, Cole and the quartet members were not happy with some things at the Curtis Institute. So, they started their own school called the New School of Music. It was near Curtis and became an important place for training musicians for over 30 years.

In 1953, Cole and the quartet returned to Curtis. They taught at both schools at the same time. After 1981, the New School joined Temple University. Cole continued to teach there.

Orlando Cole also gave master-classes around the world. In 2005, he became a professor emeritus at the Curtis Institute. He passed away on January 25, 2010, at the age of 101.

Honors and Awards

Orlando Cole received many awards for his musical work and teaching.

• In 1986, he received an honorary "Doctor of Music" degree from the Curtis Institute of Music.
• In 1990, the American String Teachers Association named him "Teacher of the Year."
• He was also honored by the Philadelphia Art Alliance and the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.
• In 1999, he received the first award from the Curtis alumni.

Cole also helped start the Encore School for Strings in Hudson, Ohio. He did this with David Cerone, who was a violin teacher at Curtis.