Feb 7, 2017
BSO cellist and inventor Luis Leguia
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Spain
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Singapore
seen from Italy
seen from Lithuania
seen from United States
seen from Singapore
seen from Japan
seen from Singapore
seen from Bulgaria
seen from Greece
seen from Bulgaria
seen from United States
seen from United States
BSO cellist and inventor Luis Leguia
Requiem for Three Cellos and Orchestra by David Popper
Performed by Luis Leguia, Mihail Jojatu and Carol Procter with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
''I just went down to the basement and started building," said Leguia, 70, who has had no training in design or engineering. In fact, he dropped out of high school in the 10th grade. Leguia said as a youth he was only good in two things -- sports and music -- and knew that college was not in his future because his single mother couldn't afford it...He left school and decided he would become a musician. His mother helped him buy his first cello for $100, earned with money from shining shoes. He now has a wooden cello insured for more than $1 million. He usually plays the traditional instrument for the BSO, which he joined in 1963, because the orchestra insures it. When he is on the road he plays his carbon fiber instruments. Three of his carbon fiber cellos were featured with the Boston Pops, and they are professionally played in orchestras in Germany, England, Canada, and Mexico.
Wicked Local, World renowned BSO cellist Luis Leguia
Luis Leguia
Cellist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 44 years
Inventor/Designer of the Carbon Fiber Cello
What I wanted was a cello that would sound great. I wanted the tone of a Stradivarius or Montagnana cello and I wanted it to carry out over [the] orchestra when you play a concerto. And I wanted it with a beautiful quality. In the final result, you can see it’s not a wood cello but the quality is beautiful, the power and reverberation is just superb, and the depth of it I find wonderful. I’m extremely pleased.
Luis Leguia, Inventor/Designer of the Carbon Fiber Cello
Years ago, I became a boating enthusiast. I grew to appreciate fiberglass boats because they are lighter, stonger and more durable than wooden boats. [I wondered] if fiberglass could do for the cello what it has done for the boat...The result of ten years of experimentation with both material and design is the “Luis & Clark Cello,” named after my partner, Steve Clark, and me.
Luis Leguia, Inventor/Designer of the Carbon Fiber Cello
Luis Leguia with the Boston Symphony Orchestera