Episodes
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Hello dear listeners! I hope you like the new name and look of the podcast. We are now on Instagram at: @peaceonfourstrings
I'm delighted to share my first solo ukulele track with you-- my original arrangement of "Kumbaya." I love this song for its simplicity; there's something therapeutic about the repeating melody. I had the chance to sing and play this song with my family last week as we celebrated the life of my uncle, Ted Green. This recording is dedicated to Ted's memory and to my wonderful extended family. I hope the music brings healing energy to your day, too.
Arranged and performed by: Jessica Sammis, ukulele
(AND special thanks to my husband Charlie Nilles for recording this podcast!)
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Hello friends, we're back! I'm amazed that we've almost reached 10,000 downloads. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for listening.
This episode is a live recording of a house concert I played with Marlisa Woods, violinist extraordinaire, in 2013. I loved learning from her baroque expertise and beautiful stylistic playing-- I hope you do, too! Stay tuned for more music (and a new name!) for this podcast coming soon!
Performed by:
Marlisa Woods, violin
Jessica Sammis, cello
(Special thanks to Marlisa Woods for sharing this recording with the podcast!)
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Missing episodes?
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Happy summer, everyone!
Today's episode is a live performance given by a wonderful duo (Mark Evans, cello and Charlie Nilles, bass) from the National Symphony Orchestra. This is their own arrangement of a piece originally written for violin and cello. The lower voice captures the rocking rhythm of the cradle, while the melody reminds me of a lullaby.
Performed by:
Mark Evans, cello
Charlie Nilles, bass
Special thanks to Mark and Charlie for generously donating this recording to the podcast!
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Hi friends, I'm thrilled to share some new peaceful cello music with you! Thank you to everyone who has tuned in over the last year and a half. I'm humbled by your support.
This episode is an original composition that I wrote in honor of a special member of my extended family, Sarah Portlock Fellman, who passed away unexpectedly last fall. Sarah was a remarkable journalist, wife, daughter, sister and new Mom. I don't normally compose, but this piece emerged almost on its own after her memorial. I hope this music brings you some peace, too.
A bit about the future of this podcast: Last year, I took a break from playing the cello due to neck and shoulder problems. Fortunately, these injuries have steadily improved, and I'm back to regular practicing. I'm not able to play as much as I used to, so I will post new episodes when I can-- most likely once a month. During my time off from cello, I started playing the ukulele, and will be incorporating more uke into this podcast as well. (I love the sound of ukulele and cello together!) I'm so excited to record and share more music with you.
"For Sarah" by Jessica Sammis
Performed by:
Jessica Sammis, cello/ukulele
Charlie Nilles, bass/recording engineer extraordinaire
(HUGE thanks to my husband Charlie Nilles, whose dedicated recording expertise makes this podcast possible.)
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Happy (early) Valentine's day!
For this week's episode, I'm happy to share a collaboration with my dear friend and colleague, Dana Rokosny. This is a Renaissance era duo, played here on the viola and cello. Hope you enjoy it!
Performers:
Dana Rokosny, viola
Jessica Sammis Nilles, cello
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Hello everyone! My husband graciously agreed to play continuo with me again this week-- thank you Charlie! I was first introduced to this sonata by my friend Erin Ellis, and since then it's been one of those "bucket list" pieces that I've wanted to learn and perform. If you like this movement, I encourage you to check out the rest of the piece, as well as some of Vivaldi's other cello sonatas; they are fantastic pieces. Wishing you all a peaceful next two weeks. Thank you for listening!
Performers:
Jessica Sammis, cello
Charlie Nilles, bass
Huge thanks to my husband and all-around music hero, Charlie Nilles, for recording and performing on today's episode.
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This week's episode is an adaptation of a Gregorgian chant for the cello. I love early vocal music, and am looking forward to exploring more chants on the cello. Hope you enjoy it!
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Happy new year! Thank to you all of you for taking a few minutes from your day to listen to cello music. We have lots of great repertoire and collaborations in the works for 2017. It's truly my honor to play for you, and I'm looking forward to bringing you more contemplative cello music this coming year.
This week's recording is the first movement (Largo) from one of Vivaldi's most famous cello sonatas. I'm a big fan of Vivaldi (and baroque music, for that matter), and while this piece is performed quite frequently, some of his lesser known sonatas are absolutely beautiful, too. (Spoiler alert-- you may be hearing them very soon on this podcast!)
Special thanks to my husband, bassist Charlie Nilles, for playing with me and assisting with all the technical elements of this podcast.
This week's performers:
Jessica Sammis, cello
Charlie Nilles, bass
Wishing you a great start to 2017,
Jessica
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(Performed by Jessica Sammis, cello)
Happy Holidays, everyone!
This week I recorded two of my favorite Christmas carols-- "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" and "In the Bleak Midwinter." I hope this music will help to ease some of the holiday stress you may be feeling. Thank you for listening, I look forward to sharing more calming cello music with you in 2017!
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Welcome to our first episode! Today's performance is from one of my favorite pieces-- J.S. Bach's G major Cello Suite. While most of the piece is lively, this slow movement provides a moment of calm in the middle of the suite. Hope you enjoy it-- please join me next week for more peaceful cello music!
Performed by:
Jessica Sammis, cello
