STRETCH

posted by James Reel

    In the latest Tucson Weekly, I offer an update on a former UA cello professor:

    Cellist Nancy Green has performed all over the world, her recordings have gotten exceptionally positive reviews, her extroverted style is often compared to that of Jacqueline du Pré, and she had a secure job on the UA music faculty.
    But a year ago, she gave up the academic life and stopped traveling around. Right now, if you want to hear her live, you can find her every Wednesday night playing for a yoga class.
    This is not one of those stories about how the mighty have fallen. Green is very carefully guiding her career in exactly the direction she wants.
    "I took a leap into the abyss," she says of her decision to leave the UA a year ago. "With my son graduating from high school, I've had a feeling of crossing the finish line--all these years of single parenting took a lot out of me. I wanted to live a life that was more grounded. I wanted to do more playing, but I don't want to do a lot of jetting around."