Cellist Luka Coetzee performs with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra at Jack Singer Concert Hall on Friday.--Submitted photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Cellist Luka Coetzee performed with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra over the weekend and says she is grateful to perform close to home.
Originally from Brooks, Coetzee travelled often to Medicine Hat for music lessons, having picked up the cello as her instrument of choice at a young age.
“I’ve been playing the cello basically my whole life,” said Coetzee. “My mom was playing the cello as an adult and I really just loved it. Christine Bootland, my cello instructor, had this viola that you could play as a cello. When I was really young, she just gave it to me and asked if we wanted it as a toy. I just fell in love with it, I didn’t want to stop playing.”
She also studied piano with Shauna Kohls-Walters at the Conservatory of Music. Since then, she has moved to Calgary, then Germany and has travelled around the world performing, including the Helsinki Philharmonic, Lahti Symphony, Cape Town Philharmonic and many more.
“I moved to Germany three years ago, and then I did some competitions, and I had the privilege of receiving first prize at the 7th International Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki in 2023,” said Coetzee.
The Calgary Philharmonic invited her to play with them this month, something she says she was thrilled to do as she considers Calgary something of a hometown.
Coetzee told the News after her first performance on Friday that while she was somewhat recovering from the evening, it was an incredible experience and she found it “very exciting.”
“I felt very connected to the orchestra and the conductor and audience. And it was, it was a great atmosphere,” said Coetzee.
In the near future, she will collaborate with pianist Jon Kimura Parker to play two concerts in Mexico toward the end of the month, before returning to Canada for another performance. From there, she has several other engagements in Zagreb, Croatia as well as France, Germany and others.
“It’s a big joy to have the privilege to share what I love with a lot of people. I feel very lucky to be able to do what I am doing,” said Coetzee. “It’s a busy life, but I’m enjoying it, and I just want to share as much music as possible with as many people as possible.”
