World-acclaimed cellist, composer, and multilingual vocalist Ian Maksin will perform his “Songs of the Vagabond Cello” concert on September 11 at the Ypsilanti Performance Space, 218 North Adams St, Ypsilanti, at 7 p.m.
The concert is promised to include soulful and soothing sounds with the cello, spanning countless times and spaces, including some of 37 languages from various regions from around the world. The goal of the concert is also to promote peace and understanding and raise money for war-torn victims.
“‘Cello for Peace’ tour is a larger ‘umbrella’ name of my mission as an artist, whereas ‘Songs of the Vagabond Cello’ is the name of the specific concert program — that I will be playing in Ypsilanti, in this case,” said Maksin. “Cello for Peace started off in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I tried to raise awareness and show support to the people of Ukraine, defending their freedom. I have been donating a large portion of the tour and merch proceeds — and also raising funds through social media and other fundraiser events — to humanitarian relief, first in Ukraine and now also in other areas around the world affected by war, to support children and refugee families.”
While promoting peace and understanding, the audience will also enjoy exceptional talent and original musical sounds.
“Since it’s my very first concert ever in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor Area, this will be in a way a ‘musical acquaintance’ for us on both sides of the stage,” Maksin said. “This program is not associated with any album release but will feature my favorite music, both original and traditional and popular songs from my multilingual collection. I will play original pieces from the three of my latest releases: Amor Renatus, Alchemist and Sempre. Amor Renatus (2023) was inspired by the music of Mozart, Bach, Piazzolla, and early French Baroque music — with a modern twist. For The Alchemist, I drew inspiration from the book of the same name by Paolo Coelho, and in musical terms, it was widely influenced by folk music from Central Asia, the Middle East, North and West Africa, Spain and the Balkans. And Sempre (which means Always in Italian) was inspired by French and Italian film music, namely by the music of the great Italian neoclassical composer Ludovico Einaudi and French composer Yann Tiersen (soundtrack to Amelie).”
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The various languages sung will almost be like a musical excursion through abundant cultures and spaces.
“I will also sing some of my favorite songs in different languages,” Maksin said. “Some of them will be old classics in Spanish, Polish, Ukrainian, French, Arabic, Turkish, Yiddish, Ladino, some traditional songs in Farsi, Georgian, Armenian, Mongolian and a few other languages, and a couple of original songs in Ukrainian and Russian.”
Technology and techniques
While Maksin will be performing alone, the technology and techniques applied will make it sound like a group of peaceful legions accompanying him.
“This is a solo program. I do all of the playing and singing, but in reality, it sounds like a whole symphony orchestra,” Maksin said. “I achieve that by using the loop pedal, which allows me to “clone” myself, so to speak, in real-time by recording what I play and by recording on top of it. So, in a way, it’s like making a multi-layer cake: you have a layer of dough, a layer of cream filling, a layer of nuts or jam, and so on…I also use an octaver pedal, which allows me to add an octave below or above what I actually play, allowing me to turn the cello into a bass or violin if necessary. And lastly, I use cello as percussion as well, by taping on different parts of the surface and recording it on the loop pedal as well. For this concert tour, I will also have a guitar and will use it for some of the songs.”
Languages from various regions of the world
“I will obviously not be able to get through all the 37 in one concert,” Maksin said. ”37 is the current number of languages in my collection. I named a few of them previously…There are a few more languages from Central Asia: Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Buryat, Tatar, Crimean Tatar, Uzbek, Kurmanji, West African language Bambara, several more Slavic languages: Belarusian, Macedonian, Serbian, as well as Portuguese, Catalan, Latvian, Lithuanian, Greek, Hindi… I am probably missing a few, but I am planning to soon add a separate page on my website dedicated to this song collection, including videos of songs in all those languages.”
Maksin himself has a multicultural and rich heritage.
“I was born in what was called the Soviet Union back in the day,” Maksin said. “My mother’s family is from Ukraine. I also have Turkic and Jewish heritage. The grandfather on my mother’s side was in the military, and they had lived in many countries prior to settling in Leningrad — where I was born: Germany, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. So our home is a melting pot of many cultures and traditions, including cooking and music of course.”
Notable collaborations
“I have performed on tour and in singular performances with such artists as Andrea Bocelli, P. Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan and Barry Gibb,” Maksin said. “I opened for Sting on one occasion in Chicago. I have also shared the stage as a support musician with such bands and artists as Smoky Robinson, the Temptations, Beach Boys, James Taylor and a few more. It was a huge honor and inspiration to be on the same stage with those people, and I feel infinitely grateful for all these opportunities.”
Maksin also performs extensively internationally as well.
“I seek opportunities for collaborations with artists in every new country or region I go to,” Maksin said. “I have done it in Mongolia, Mexico, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and several other countries. In other instances, I have collaborated with artists from some of the places I haven’t had a chance to visit yet for one or another reason but met with those musicians in North America or elsewhere. These collaborations include artists from Iran, Senegal, Mali, Morocco, Cuba, and a few more places…”
Maksin concluded by reiterating the beautiful power of music to bring people together and promote healing.
“I do believe in healing and transformational power of music,” Maksin said. “I do believe that music can bring us together, break borders and prejudice, empower and inspire us, help us achieve peace inside our own souls, and create peace in our personal universe. Once we achieve peace in our own personal universe, peace in the world will follow.”
Purchase tickets online. September 11. 7 p.m. Ypsilanti Performance Space. 218 North Adams St, Ypsilanti.
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
