NAME: Thomas Readett. OCCUPATION: Cellist and educator. RESIDENCE: Part-time NYC, part-time Mystic.
BORN, RAISED & GREW UP IN: Born in Basingstoke, England, raised and grew up in Mystic, right up the street from Port of Call. RIGHT NOW I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF: A master’s degree from Columbia Teachers College in music education as a Millman Fellow. MY PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Playing Mendelssohn’s Octet at the Union Baptist Church with the American String Quartet.
(The final concert of our last season. I hope to make even more "proudest" accomplishments next season.) TOP ON MY BUCKET LIST: To win a major competition with my piano trio (consisting of Sila Senturk, Nini Giorgadze and me.
) I ALWAYS CARRY/WEAR: A cello, haha, and a pair of headphones. I just about always have some music playing in my ears. WHAT I WANTED TO BE WHEN I GREW UP : A cellist and, before I knew that was a career choice, a Pokémon trainer.
MY HEROES ARE: Richard Kosta/Fitch High School Track Coach. He changed my life; I would not be who I am today without him. He inspired me to do what I love and to do it well.
His compassion for each of his athletes inspires my teaching every day. FAVORITE AUTHORS: Tolkien, Maurice Sendak, Andy Weir, Jane Austen. But I thought this would be more fitting: FAVORITE COMPOSERS: Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Bach (some of the best composers for Cello and Quartet music, my love of classical chamber music is everywhere).
BOOKS ON MY NIGHT STAND: "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt, Cobbett's "Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music," and "Game of Thrones." (Two of my own choices; one is a recommendation from my mum.) TOP THREE SONGS ON MY PLAYLIST: Rachmaninov Cello Sonata, Beethoven String Quartet no.
13 op. 131, "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman. LAST THREE SONGS I ASKED ALEXA/PANDORA/SPOTIFY TO PLAY: "Stargazing," by Myles Smith, Beethoven String Quartet No.
9 Op. 59 no. 3 Mvt.
4 (the Beethoven we played at the last concert), Haydn String Quartet in B flat major 'Sunrise' Op 76 No 4 (the opening piece of our next concert — some inside information for you)! FAVORITE THREE MOVIES OF ALL TIME: "The Red Shoes," "Love Actually" and "Princess Bride." FAVORITE TV SHOWS: "How I Met Your Mother" (I strive to have a friend group like that in NYC one day soon). FAVORITE RADIO STATION/SHOWS/PODCAST: Classical 95.
9's "Conducting Conversations." I grew up listening to that station, and it was such an honor to be interviewed by them on "Conducting Conversations." TOP COMFORT FOOD: Entenmann's Pop' ems Donut Holes (my grandma always had these in her house whenever I came over, so it makes me think of her.
) SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES I MOSTLY USE: None; they confuse me. (I have never understood the hype around social media. Because of that, I don’t have any social media.
I even outsource the running of my nonprofit’s Instagram page.) TRAITS I MOST ADMIRE: The ability to enjoy life no matter the circumstances. I am told my grandfather was a master of this and I strive to find joy in life no matter what.
PET PEEVES: When things are not organized (I love having everything organized away and being able to grab what I need when I need it). FAVORITE QUOTATION: “We are all just stories in the end, so make it a good one” — Doctor Who. (Being British, I grew up watching "Dr.
Who" with my father.) MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT OUR LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD: The people and the atmosphere. Everyone always says there is no place like home but I think that Mystic takes the cake.
Mystic is a magical place where the world feels just a bit more calm and a bit more beautiful. CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Music, classical or otherwise, helps to bring the world together with a universal language. We need music to hold our societies together.
LITTLE KNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: I am restoring a vintage bike with my dad in my free time. BEST ADVICE I EVER RECEIVED: “You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, and you climb around in his skin and walk around in it.” — From the great Atticus Finch and one of my favorite books growing up.
ADVICE I BEST LIKE TO GIVE: “If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.” IF I RULED THE WORLD, I WOULD: Abdicate power to someone more sensible; I don’t think I would be very good at ruling the world. I’ll stick to the cello.
IF I WON THE LOTTERY, THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS: Call my parents and say, “See, you can make a lot of money as a musician.” I DRIVE A: City Bike/the subway. I WISH I DROVE A: Car, I never ended up getting my driver’s license.
I spent too much time in NYC, and my best friend Alex Schwindt is a wonderful driver. ALWAYS IN MY FRIDGE: Leftover Chinese food. Every Thursday after I teach lessons, I get Chinese food and usually order too much.
THE GUESTS AT THE DINNER PARTY OF MY DREAMS WOULD INCLUDE: Tolkien, Stephen Colbert, Jacqueline Du Pres, Shakespeare, Winnie the Pooh. I want to create a night of stories, and these are some of my favorite storytellers throughout history. — Interview arranged and edited by Nancy Burns-Fusaro.
