Deborah Brooks is a cellist with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. This Sunday, she will join flutist Shauna Thompson and pianist Shields-Collins Bray for a performance at the Basically Beethoven Festival, presented by the Fine Arts Chamber Players. The performance will be held at Moody Performance Hall near DART’s Pearl/Arts District Station. Brooks is looking forward to performing a Beethoven sonata, which brings back fond memories of her college years. Fine Arts Chamber Players asked Brooks to share her thoughts on Beethoven’s storytelling, her favorite composers, what she would have changed about herself in high school, and more! Here’s a sneak peek of the interview: Q: How old were you when you started playing the cello? Why did you choose it and did you learn any other instruments? A: I began lessons on the piano at age five with my father. While learning violin in the fifth grade, we learned that the one cellist in our little elementary school orchestra was moving away. So, thinking that I would be bored playing the violin another year, I switched to the cello to fill the gap. Then I fell in love with the deeper sounds. I continued piano and theory studies all through high school, which was invaluable in my overall music training. Q: Who’s your favorite composer to listen to? To play? A: Brahms and Mahler. It’s hard to choose between those two. They are both so emotionally complex in their music. Click here for the full Q&A. The free 2018 Basically Beethoven Festival continues Sunday, July 8,at 2:30 p.m.  You also can catch D-Link (Route 722) to San Jacinto and Pearl streets to visit Moody Performance Hall. The hall, in the Dallas Arts District, sits a short walk away.

Deborah Brooks is a cellist with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. This Sunday, she will join flutist Shauna Thompson and pianist Shields-Collins Bray for a performance at the Basically Beethoven Festival, presented by the Fine Arts Chamber Players. The performance will be held at Moody Performance Hall near DART’s Pearl/Arts District Station. Brooks is looking forward to performing a Beethoven sonata, which brings back fond memories of her college years. Fine Arts Chamber Players asked Brooks to share her thoughts on Beethoven’s storytelling, her favorite composers, what she would have changed about herself in high school, and more! Here’s a sneak peek of the interview: Q: How old were you when you started playing the cello? Why did you choose it and did you learn any other instruments? A: I began lessons on the piano at age five with my father. While learning violin in the fifth grade, we learned that the one cellist in our little elementary school orchestra was moving away. So, thinking that I would be bored playing the violin another year, I switched to the cello to fill the gap. Then I fell in love with the deeper sounds. I continued piano and theory studies all through high school, which was invaluable in my overall music training. Q: Who’s your favorite composer to listen to? To play? A: Brahms and Mahler. It’s hard to choose between those two. They are both so emotionally complex in their music. Click here for the full Q&A. The free 2018 Basically Beethoven Festival continues Sunday, July 8,at 2:30 p.m.  You also can catch D-Link (Route 722) to San Jacinto and Pearl streets to visit Moody Performance Hall. The hall, in the Dallas Arts District, sits a short walk away.

Deborah Brooks is a cellist with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. This Sunday, she will join flutist Shauna Thompson and pianist Shields-Collins Bray for a performance at the Basically Beethoven Festival, presented by the Fine Arts Chamber Players. The performance will be held at Moody Performance Hall near DART’s Pearl/Arts District Station. Brooks is looking forward to performing a Beethoven sonata, which brings back fond memories of her college years. Fine Arts Chamber Players asked Brooks to share her thoughts on Beethoven’s storytelling, her favorite composers, what she would have changed about herself in high school, and more! Here’s a sneak peek of the interview: Q: How old were you when you started playing the cello? Why did you choose it and did you learn any other instruments? A: I began lessons on the piano at age five with my father. While learning violin in the fifth grade, we learned that the one cellist in our little elementary school orchestra was moving away. So, thinking that I would be bored playing the violin another year, I switched to the cello to fill the gap. Then I fell in love with the deeper sounds. I continued piano and theory studies all through high school, which was invaluable in my overall music training. Q: Who’s your favorite composer to listen to? To play? A: Brahms and Mahler. It’s hard to choose between those two. They are both so emotionally complex in their music. Click here for the full Q&A. The free 2018 Basically Beethoven Festival continues Sunday, July 8,at 2:30 p.m.  You also can catch D-Link (Route 722) to San Jacinto and Pearl streets to visit Moody Performance Hall. The hall, in the Dallas Arts District, sits a short walk away.