...the German school of cello playing. And if you haven't considered that there is a German school of cello playing, you may want to. There are a few rising soloists to make the point. Take Alban Gerhardt, born in 1969, who made a successful debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnanyi in April and will play Strauss's "Don Quixote" in Chicago with the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra on Friday and Saturday. He will make his debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony in the 2005-6 season.... Mr. Gerhardt plays with a big, emotive fullness. One of his teachers was Frans Helmerson, a Swedish cellist who also taught another player with a big sound, the Norwegian virtuoso Truls Mork...Another thing that unites the three cellists is their de facto demonstration that solo careers take quite a bit of pursuing...Mr. Gerhardt made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1991 and his New York debut in 1993, followed by appearances with Young Concert Artists. But only now is his American career starting to soar....“

Anne Midgette, NY Times, Aug 7, 2005