Intensely inspired by classical music at a young age, Dale Henderson excelled as a traditional performer but felt driven to share the artform beyond its conventional constraints. Breaking with traditional boundaries, in 2010 he began performing “Bach in the Subways” in New York City to transcend the cultural barriers that prevent people from connecting with classical music. His unconventional vision caught on, and within five years his solo project exploded into a global music movement which now brings new audiences to classical music in hundreds of cities in dozens of countries.
Dale is based in New York City and performs around the world.
Intensely inspired by classical music at a young age, Dale Henderson trained with top musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, and Leonard Bernstein protégé Eiji Oue. Making his professional solo debut at 13, Dale excelled as a traditional performer but felt driven to share the artform beyond its conventional constraints.
Breaking with traditional boundaries, in 2010 he began performing “Bach in the Subways” in New York City to transcend the cultural barriers that prevent people from connecting with classical music. His unconventional vision caught on, and within five years his solo project exploded into a global music movement which now brings new audiences to classical music in hundreds of cities in dozens of countries.
Dale is based in New York City and performs around the world.
Described by Yo-Yo Ma as “a very gifted musician, a natural cellist,” Dale Henderson was intensely inspired by classical music at a young age. Training with top musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Leonard Bernstein protégé Eiji Oue, Benjamin Zander, Laurence Lesser, Andrés Díaz, and Colin Carr, Henderson performed regularly as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral cellist in Boston’s rich musical community.
At 13 Dale debuted professionally with the Buffalo Philharmonic, performing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations to critical acclaim. Other performance highlights included regular solo and chamber music recitals at Boston’s Gardner Museum, Haydn C Major Concerto performances in Tokyo, and numerous other concerti performances with the Erie Philharmonic, Marlboro Orchestra, New England Philharmonic, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, Indian Hill Symphony, Newton Symphony Orchestra, Mozartium Chamber Orchestra, New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and Greater Boston Youth Symphony Chamber Orchestra.
Dale attended the Greenwood, Musicorda, Kneisel Hall, Aspen, Taos, and Banff music festivals. He won 1st Prize in the Harry Dubbs Memorial Award, Framingham State College’s Christa McAuliffe Memorial Medallion for Excellence, Leonard D. Wood Memorial Award, New England Symphony Competition (Lasker Young Soloist Award), Wellesley Symphony Competition, Springfield Symphony/Musicorda Competition, New England Philharmonic Competition, Marlboro Symphony Competition, Indian Hill Symphony Competition, and the Philharmonic Society of Arlington Competition.
After performing privately for Sir Yehudi Menuhin in 1992, Menuhin wrote: “I was expecting to hear beautiful cello playing from what Eiji [Oue] said and I was not disappointed.” The following year Dale accepted Menuhin’s invitation to attend the International Menuhin Music Academy in Switzerland. From 1996 to 2000 Henderson earned a Bachelor of Music at Boston’s New England Conservatory, and then pursued a Master of Music at UCLA.
Excelling as a traditional performer, Henderson’s core belief that classical music belongs to everyone often clashed with mainstream culture’s disconnect from the artform. Ever dwindling classical music audiences, a shrinking market, major orchestra closures, and constant budget cuts to arts organizations and education confirmed Henderson’s sense of a serious divide between art and audiences. First taking action in 2004, Dale joined the Community Music Center of Boston in their mission to bring quality classical music education to underserved urban youth. He served as the cello faculty there for four years.
After moving to New York, Dale took a more direct approach, breaking conventional boundaries for classical music and reinventing where and how the artform connects to audiences. In 2010 Henderson began his impassioned campaign of “Bach in the Subways” performances in New York City to transcend the cultural barriers that prevent people from connecting with classical music. His unconventional vision caught on, and within five years he grew his solo project into a global music movement which now brings new audiences to classical music in hundreds of cities in dozens of countries.
Dale is based in New York City and performs around the world.
Photos
Videos
with Dermot Mulroney
Glasunov Chant du Menestral
Bach da Gamba Sonata No. 2 in D Major: Allegro
Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major: Sarabande
Bach da Gamba Sonata No. 3 in g minor: Allegro
Casals Song of the Birds