502.713.5798
On Sunday, September 4th, the Rolston String Quartet -- Luri Lee and Jeffrey Dyrda, violins, Hezekiah Leung, viola and Jonathan Lo, cellist -- took first prize at the prestigious 12th Banff International String Quartet Competition. Named in honor of Thomas Rolston, renowned violinist and founder of the Music and Sound programs at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the Rolstons prevailed after five intense rounds of classical, romantic and contemporary repertoire, including works by Haydn, Schubert, Ravel, Janacek, and Bartok, all capped off by a powerful, moving rendition of Beethoven’s String Quartet no. 8 in E Minor for their finale on Sunday afternoon.
In addition to receiving a $25,000 cash award, the First Prize Laureates will begin a three-year career development program worth over $150,000, with concert tours throughout Europe and North America, and several Banff Centre residencies, one of which includes recording an album.
The quartet’s performances not only featured superb musicianship, but also an added note of drama when six minutes into the Banff Centre co-commissioned work, Zosha Di Castri’s String Quartet No. 1, the quartet members stopped playing and announced, “We’ve broken a string.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfjjTqe8_vo) The quartet left the stage while waiting for Mr. Lo to replace his string, then returned moments later and began the difficult piece over again.
Competitive success is no stranger to the Rolstons, having also been awarded prizes at the Bordeaux, M-Prize, and Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competitions.
And if past success at Banff is an indicator of a bright future, they have much to look forward to. The Dover Quartet from the USA, winners of BISQC in 2013, went on to win the Cleveland Quartet Award and perform over 120 concerts per year. Interestingly, there is another connection between the two groups – centering on the endpin used by Jonathan Lo.
Last summer, Mr. Lo crossed paths with Camden Shaw, cellist of The Dover Quartet, at the Banff Centre. He noticed Shaw’s use of an innovative brass endpin system from Tone Acoustics, and after hearing and feeling the enhanced sound and responsiveness it delivered, he switched to the Tone Acoustics endpin as well.
Lo said, “At first, I was skeptical as to how much an improvement an endpin could provide. However, after trying Camden’s cello and listening to him describe how it changed his instrument, in addition to knowing the amount of time and research he’s spent maximizing its capabilities, I decided to give it a shot. I haven’t regretted it since, virtually every aspect of sound quality from projection, resonance, response, and timbre have drastically improved. Furthermore, my quartet wholeheartedly agrees!”
Videos of The Rolston String Quartet playing at the competition: For those interested in the Tone Acoustics endpin, you can get a look at at 21:30 in the first video, and approximately 1:54:22 in the second.
Video 1
“It is as if I purchased a superior cello. My wolf tone is gone, the volume of my cello is louder, but projects better than before during soft passages, the sound is clearer, I am able to hear more overtones, and the cello responds faster. Thank you so much!” – Anita Greaf
"The super pin sounds so wonderful that I can't play my old pin anymore! I don’t even carry it with me anymore (which I did in the beginning).
My Instrument is a Guiseppe Dall'Aglio (Mantua, around 1810), the strings I'm playing are Larsen Magnacore (A/D/G, sometimes the C as well) and Thomastik Spirocore (C). The sound quality is basically higher, more noble....any note just sounds richer and deeper. And yes - it is possible to play closer to the bridge. The sound is wider. It would be too simple to say it's louder, because there is so much more to say -- it's asking me to play finer and it's so inspiring!
I can only say thank you for developing such a great pin. For a young musician like me, the price at first seemed quite high, but I have to say it’s worth it to get such a high quality product. Congratulations for developing these wonderful pins." - Tobias Baez
I first tried a Tone Acoustics endpin during my doctoral work and it eventually inspired my thesis. During the course of my research, I tried many different pins. I can easily say that the Tone Acoustics is by far my favorite. With the Tone Acoustics pin, my cello speaks more quickly, with more overtones, clarity, and focus in my sound. The Tone Acoustics pin gives me the widest range of color with very little effort. As a quartet musician, this has been invaluable for my colleagues as we tend to base so much from the bass up: intonation, dynamics, timbre. The Tone Acoustics pin allows me to readily create the foundation for my quartetmates to play on top of. Within the first few minutes that I played a Tone Acoustics pin in rehearsal, they told me that it was easier for them to blend their sounds in to mine.
On another note, its also nice to almost never need a rockstop anymore! My Tone Acoustics pin never slips or slides across the floor, it easily sticks in any surface. I only carry a rockstop with me to make sure I don't I make sure I don't accidentally damage the floor.
“Just wanted to drop you a quick email that I finally got to play a carbon fiber cello for the first time recently. I put my Tone Acoustics endpin in it and it was pretty incredible how much it improved the sound! I don't know if you've heard the combination yet, just wanted to share with you.!” – Willie Braun
"I am absolutely thrilled with what the Tone Acoustics endpin has done for my cello. What struck me was that it not only makes for a louder and more resonant sound, but in fact allows the cello to speak better at ANY dynamic range. The number of new colors that were available was so exciting- it felt like the instrument had suddenly been set free, releasing its full potential and power. I can't recommend these endpins highly enough"
"A Tone Acoustics endpin granted me a broader palette of sound. My peers and my teacher, Dr. Wesley Baldwin, have commented on the quality of my performances and the maturation of my tone. I considered the custom endpin so important to my sound that I purchased a second one when I acquired another cello. Additionally, it is the sharpest endpin I have experience with. The combination of a new cello and new endpin have accelerated my musical growth.”
"The Tone Acoustics' endpin is the most innovative and important advancement in sound quality for cello and bass that I have seen - or heard - in decades. It literally changed my musical life, adding clarity, dynamic contrast, and volume to the sound of my instrument. I have used it in performance at Carnegie Hall and recommend it without reservation." - Paul York
“I don't know if it's the design, materials, or mass, but the Tone Acoustics Endpin audibly improves the clarity and response of my 1765 Balestrieri. I love how it feels, and I'm never going back!” – Benjamin Karp
"The Tone Acoustics endpin is an amazing product. About a year ago, I did a blind playing test of 10 different endpins (steel, Berlin Sound Pin, ebony, a U.S. carbon fiber, a German carbon fiber, Tone Acoustics, brass, titanium, tungsten, and my old New Harmony Carbon Fiber endpin). I went into a hall with some colleagues, put them behind a screen, and proceeded to test each endpin. Within 30 minutes there was a clear winner - the Tone Acoustics endpin. In general, the carbon fiber endpins and the ebony endpin gave my cello a very resonance/round sound, but it was less focused. The various metal endpins gave my cello plenty of focus but lacked depth, complexity, and resonance. Tom's endpin was the only one that gave me everything that I was looking for regarding sound quality: openness, resonance, depth, focus, and projection. An added bonus, which I was not initially concerned with, was that the response of the instrument improved and there was a noticeable increase in the clarity of my spiccato! Not to mention, the cello began to open up even more over time. The bottom line is that I highly recommend this endpin! Awesome product!!"
"Wow Tom, this Super pin is awesome!!
We all heard how the sound swelled up! However, the immediate effect was impressive too!
This is actually an astonishing product! All of the items above are improved by NOTICEABLE amounts. Not just a little bit - it's extremely obvious. I would say at least a 10-12% improvement for each item. It feels like I have some kind of secret weapon or something!
My wife, Sarah and I are very impressed!"
"I am extremely pleased with my purchase of the new Tone Acoustic brass endpin, created by Tom DeVuono. It has not only enhanced the sound of my instrument twofold , but it has made playing the instrument easier and more responsive. The instrument was made in 1855, outside of Paris in Mirecourt, by Honore Derazey. I highly recommend this new product to any cellist, or bassist looking to enrich their sound quality and sound production. All of the 'cellists in The CSO that purchased Tone Acoustic endpins are thrilled with the product!"
"I am so excited to be playing on two different endpins from Tone Acoustics. Each of these notably improves my already terrific Vuillaume cello on several fronts. Volume of sound is objectively enhanced. More significantly, though, so are clarity and range of sound colors, as well as the responsiveness of the cello. This endpin has more than a bit of magic in it. These endpins have also substantively augmented the quality and amount of sound on my students' cellos. These endpins are a game changer. I can't say enough positive things about them."
"After playing a couple of days, it seems to me that the cello has developed a focused sound with nice texture, and the cello responds even faster than before through all registers... something I didn’t think was possible. I feel that the sound is more balanced between the strings. Also, the upper registers on g and c strings sing more easily. The cello can stand more pressure, allowing me to play very close to the bridge without making the sound thin or forced.
We tested different pins with our principal cellist, so I was also able to hear the difference from the audience's point of view.
With your pin, the sound projects much better than with other pins. The sound seems fuller and wider. Again, this is true through all registers, even the uppermost register, which usually sounds rather nasal and thin. The principal said that his cello was really easy to play and reacted very fast under the bow. I witnessed this effect as well. It must also be said that with the heavy weight of your pin, the instrument rests in perfect balance against one's body and no effort is needed to hold the instrument.
I am really happy that I invested in this pin. It has already been worth the price.”
NOTE: Opinions expressed on this page are those of the individual performers and technicians and do not represent an endorsement by any group,organization or symphony.
