Ofra Harnoy – Two Cellos Test Our Ears

Ofra Harnoy spent part of her COVID isolation reconnecting with childhood friend Winona Zelenka. The result is 5 Duos for 2 Cellos. The digital release features, as its title suggests, five duets, all composed by Halsey Stevens.

As two of Canada’s leading cellists, Ofra and Winona have a history that dates back 50 years to a time when, as kids, they performed at the same music competitions. For this release, they recorded remotely: Ofra in her home studio in St. John’s with her husband, Mike Herriott, engineering, and Winona in her home studio in Toronto with her husband, Ron Searles, at the console. Post COVID shutdowns, they came together in Toronto to record an accompanying video. Both the audio and video formats of 5 Duos for 2 Cellos will be available July 1.

It was Ofra’s fascination with two cellos that brought her to ideacity. She tested our audience’s ears by playing two different instruments – created nearly 300 years apart and with valuations differing by more than two million dollars.