Lynn Harrell's Cello to be Loaned Out to Young Cellist

The instrument of American cellist Lynn Harrell will once again be played as a result of a new competition set up by the Lynn Harrell Foundation. Since Harrell's passing in April 2020, his instrument has sat unused: his widow, Helen Nightengale, had placed the cello in a cupboard to allow herself time to process his death.

However, Nightengale has recently decided to launch a new initiative through the Lynn Harrell Foundation, which the couple founded jointly during Harrell's lifetime. The result is the Harrell Dungey Cello Loan Competition, which will loan the instrument to a deserving young cellist for a two-year period, with a possible one-year extension. The competition was launched on January 30, 2022, which would have been Harrell's 78th birthday.

Applications for the competition are open now and will close on April 1, 2022.

"Our home used to be filled with the sounds of Lynn practising, each note rousing the senses and soothing the spirit," Nightengale wrote.

"Then when Lynn died almost two years ago, I packed up his cello and stored it in the back of my closet. There it sat for a year as my children and I processed his death and the deafening quiet in a house that had known the daily practice and music that Lynn brought."

"As a family, we want his cello to make the beautiful music it was created for once again. We realize that the cello was his voice and personality, and it shouldn’t be silenced," she added.

You can read more about Harrell's cello, here.