logo
Christian Elliott obituary: Cellist who adapted E.T. score and Beatles song

Christian Elliott obituary: Cellist who adapted E.T. score and Beatles song

Times25-04-2025

Christian Elliott was more than a cellist. He was also a composer, arranger, author and polymath. Nevertheless, his musical identity centred on the cello and for the past ten years he was a member of the Zehetmair Quartet, performing from memory with them at the Wigmore Hall in London, the Edinburgh International Festival and at concert halls across Europe.
Not content with playing only one cello part, during the Covid-19 lockdown he adapted works such as Bach's Goldberg Variations and Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht for multiple parts, recording himself playing each one and knitting them together electronically into a seamless performance. His arrangement of Flying Theme from John Williams's score for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has nine cello parts, all of which he plays simultaneously in an

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Make learning Chinese fun: Cheryl Mainland's Dragon Academy uses storytelling and technology to revolutionise Mandarin education
Make learning Chinese fun: Cheryl Mainland's Dragon Academy uses storytelling and technology to revolutionise Mandarin education

Tatler Asia

time26-05-2025

  • Tatler Asia

Make learning Chinese fun: Cheryl Mainland's Dragon Academy uses storytelling and technology to revolutionise Mandarin education

Language as a superpower Above Cheryl Lee Mainland used to be the translator between her two grandmothers (Photo: courtesy of Cheryl Lee Mainland) Above On her first day at school in Taiwan, Cheryl Lee Mainland introduced herself in Chinese and felt that she belonged (Photo: courtesy of Cheryl Lee Mainland) Indeed, it's no coincidence that Mainland decided to dedicate her life to making Chinese more accessible. From a very young age, she understood that language wasn't just a tool for communication—it was her ultimate connector. Born in Taiwan to a Chinese mother and an American father, she vividly recalls realising early on that Mandarin would be her secret superpower—something she discovered on her very first day at school. 'Even at that age, I was aware I looked different from everyone else—all other kids were 100 per cent Chinese,' she says. 'But I remember introducing myself in Chinese, and immediately felt that I belonged. All my insecurities disappeared. It didn't matter what I looked like because language was my way in.' That sense of belonging stayed with her through some of her most important and emotional moments. Whether acting as a translator between her two grandmothers—one in Mandarin, the other in English—or sitting across from her father at business meetings, Mainland saw firsthand how language could bridge worlds. The most defining moment came when she was able to conduct her Harvard interview in Chinese—a clear reminder of the tremendous power of language to unlock opportunities and connect different facets of identity. 'I owe so much to my parents,' Mainland says. 'At home, multiculturalism was celebrated—there was an understanding that language is more than words. It's a bridge. I carried that belief with me everywhere.' Personal challenges to a new mission of purpose Above Cheryl Lee Mainland and her children on the Pearls shoot in Bali (Photo: courtesy of Archie Geotina) Above Cheryl Lee Mainland and her children in Bali (Photo: courtesy of Cheryl Lee Mainland) Throughout her life, Mainland has leveraged her ability to act as a translator—not just between languages and generations, but also between 'consumers and businesses'. 'I am good at identifying a market that is huge, but underserved,' she says. Over two decades, Mainland has launched multiple successful online brands—including women's workwear, prom dresses and swimwear—while travelling the world with her family. Their moves took them to London, New York, Chicago and beyond, until they finally settled in Melbourne, where life's unexpected challenges took centre stage. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Mainland experienced a period most families hope to never face: her young daughter was diagnosed with kidney cancer and an extremely rare congenital heart defect. Fortunately, her daughter survived (and is 'Aurora', one of the Dragon Academy story characters), but her marriage of 17 years did not. 'It was a really challenging time,' she recalls. 'I was at my lowest.' But rather than let these hardships define her, Mainland saw an opportunity for reflection. As her daughter began to recover, she took a step back to reevaluate what truly mattered. The answer, she says, emerged through her children. Above The nine characters of the Dragon Academy (Photo: courtesy of Dragon Academy) 'During the lockdown, my daughters were learning Korean on Duolingo because it was 'cool' despite the thousands of dollars I spent on Chinese tutoring,' she says, laughing. 'That's when I knew I had to make learning Chinese as cool as Korean or Japanese.' Even without the influence of K-pop or manga, the world's hunger for Chinese speakers is growing rapidly. Experts predict the global Chinese language learning market will hit $13.1 billion by 2027, with an annual growth rate of nearly 12 per cent. As Dragon Academy gets ready to kick off its first round of outside funding, Mainland hopes the platform will play a major role in shaping this exciting and fast-changing industry.

Inside Lindsay Jang and Max Levy's wedding ceremony—and why they told no one about it
Inside Lindsay Jang and Max Levy's wedding ceremony—and why they told no one about it

Tatler Asia

time23-05-2025

  • Tatler Asia

Inside Lindsay Jang and Max Levy's wedding ceremony—and why they told no one about it

How did your families react to the idea of a private ceremony? Jang: Completely unphased. Levy: 'Send some photos!' After Covid-19, I think everyone appreciates time spent hanging out together more than stressing over big events. Your blended family dynamic is so unique and inspiring. Lindsay, you and Matt Abergel [Jang's business partner and former life partner] co-parent your two kids, and Max and Matt are old friends. How did that friendship evolve into this beautiful family structure? Jang: Matt is my closest friend, and his opinion matters a lot to me. He was actually the first person I called after running into Max. I remember saying, 'Hey, guess who's in Hong Kong, single and looks good? Max Levy. What are his red flags?'. Matt replied, 'No red flags. He's a little critical.' They share many of the same values, which has made this modern family frictionless. Levy: I think the main thing that we all have now is maturity and being able to use that maturity and experience to focus on what's really important. What was the most memorable moment of the day? Jang: Our wedding 'administrator', who spoke exactly like the priest from The Princess Bride (1987) —somewhat nonsensical. Levy: Luckily I like reading forms, because I understood nothing that was coming out of his mouth. Did you miss having friends or a larger crowd present? Jang: No. Levy: That's like me saying 'did I forget to have an anxiety attack last night before bed?'. How do you balance your personal and professional lives as a couple? Jang: We both have a lot of freedom over our schedules and our work overlaps in many ways. What's special is that we get to talk about our projects at home, but not in that negative sense of 'bringing work home'. It's really valuable to have someone whose opinion matters and who offers insight from a completely different perspective. Of course, we don't always agree, but that's part of the dynamic. Levy: Actually that's been one of the best dynamics about our relationship sometimes, is learning how to respectfully disagree with each other's opinions. We look at the same things very differently, but I trust her opinion because I know that she's going to be honest. Lindsay, how do your kids feel about this new chapter in your lives? Jang: They're happy as long as I'm happy. They're teenagers, and we've always had a very open, honest household, so there are a lot of jokes and good-natured teasing. Levy: 'Good-natured……' What's next for you two—honeymoon, projects or simply enjoying married life? Jang: All of the above.

Body positivity, Bollywood and a viral video: How Swiss Indian singer BombayMami is empowering women through music
Body positivity, Bollywood and a viral video: How Swiss Indian singer BombayMami is empowering women through music

Tatler Asia

time22-05-2025

  • Tatler Asia

Body positivity, Bollywood and a viral video: How Swiss Indian singer BombayMami is empowering women through music

Above BombayMami's 'Fire in Delhi' music video BombayMami: Rising through adversity BombayMami's musical journey began in 2012, with different aliases like Tashan and with hits in English, French and German, like This Time (2019) and Yoga (2022) . She was about to go on a tour in Germany when it was cancelled by Covid-19—a blessing in disguise, she says, as it gave her time to reflect on her true path. Despite her success, she realised her career was heading in a direction that didn't feel authentic to her. 'I grew up in Switzerland, which is notoriously known for its lack of diversity,' she says. 'It took me a long time to find people who could embrace my identity and vision. In the process, I received more hate than love from the industry, especially from men I worked with, who didn't understand who I was.' She recalls countless moments of suppression and attempts to shame her: 'I can't count the number of times men imposed their vision on me, the number of times I was told I couldn't sing, that I was too fat, that I was too Indian, that I was too much. Once, a guy wanted to use my voice for a song but said he would rather have a model pretending to sing than have me in the music video.' Determined to reclaim her agency, she left her label and moved to London, where she found musical and cultural acceptance. 'In London, I felt a huge sense of belonging, I felt at home right away,' she says. 'Being surrounded by South Asian culture realigned me and helped me figure out how I wanted to approach my music: from a place of power, authenticity and heritage.' Surrounded by a team that she could finally trust and motivated to celebrate her once-shamed Indian heritage, she reveals that it was the hit Bollywood song and her childhood favourite, Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai (an iconic song from the 1993 Bollywood movie Khal Nayak that was banned on Indian national TV for its raunchy lyrics), which gave her the epiphany she needed. 'That song is an absolute banger,' she says. 'It's a bit cheeky, a bit sexy, and it just became an obvious common thread to follow'—a thread that she will continue to pursue in Peaceful Attitude , her upcoming album. 'Channelling the sassy energy [of this Bollywood song in Peaceful Attitude ] has been my way of reclaiming my goddess power, because women's power is just constantly overlooked by society,' she adds. Above BombayMami got inspired by the Bollywood classic song 'Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai' from the 1993 movie 'Khal Nayak' Empowerment through authenticity, feminism and body positivity 'From situationships to colleagues, I've been taken advantage of by a lot of men in the past years,' she says. 'It actually reassured me that the song was so liked by women and queer people. Not that I don't appreciate straight men, but I need a break from them,' she says, laughing. 'Unfortunately, patriarchy is a system that we're stuck in. So, the best I can do is to try to inspired women and queer folks to create their own reality and to follow their guts.' To do so, the singer's second-favourite medium is probably her own body. As she says it herself: 'In BombayMami, music and aesthetics go hand in hand'. Above Musical and visual identities are equally important for BombayMami (Photo: courtesy of BombayMami) Above BombayMami will release her album, Peaceful Attitude, later this year (Photo: courtesy of BombayMami) Through bold makeup, long nails, bling and colourful clothes, she says she reconnects with her inner power. 'Believe me, I have tons of insecurities,' she reveals. 'Some days I hate my cellulite and my arms so much, but paradoxically enough, I reappropriate my body through nakedness. The less I wear, the more comfortable I am in front of the camera.' Despite the setbacks, she says she feels grateful to be able to live her life freely. 'I was fortunate enough to grow up in Switzerland, in a safe space where my parents were supportive and let me express myself, even when I've been showing a bit more skin,' she says. 'I want to offer that to other people around me.' Before running back to work, BombayMami ends our interview with some guidelines: 'Everybody is welcome to my concerts, except if you're homophobic, transphobic, sexist or mistreat animals. Music only calls for love and celebrations.' As she packs up her lunch and heads back to her day job, it's clear that this duality defines her—professional by day, cultural revolutionary by night. And as her music continues to inspire fans worldwide, she rides that momentum like she rides her snowboard: with fearless authenticity and unapologetic joy.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store