From BBC Magazine: Conductor Euan Shields remembers the profound influence of his late teacher, the American cellist Antonio Lysy.
I first met Antonio Lysy at my undergraduate cello audition for The UCLA herb Alpert School of Music in 2017. After hearing me play, he looked at me and said, “I can tell you are passionate about the cello, but you want to become an orchestra conductor!” I think that encapsulates how he had this unique ability to look into a person and see their essence, and for me at the time it was slightly uncanny, as I’d recently made just that decision.
Antonio had two sides to him. One was that he pushed every student to the highest standards of cello playing – he was a very rigorous teacher – but the other was that he believed in each individual’s quirks, obsessions and inner fire, and that they should follow their own artistic path. I really admired that in him, and studying with him for four years was an absolute joy. As a cellist, simply hearing him play the music in front of you was so inspiring. His way of playing was like raw emotion gushing forward, but he was also refined and elegant, and I think he brought his whole personality to the music. And then he had a mischievous sense of humour too!
From fellow students in the US to my colleagues in the Hallé and others in Italy and Argentina, every musician he met was touched by his spirit of openness, curiosity and generosity. From time to time, I listen to his Music of Argentina recording and every time I do so, I can’t stop the tears from coming – through the sound of his playing, he somehow seems more alive than anybody I know.
In Memoriam Antonio Lysy
“He danced the music he was playing,” recalled Kaya Ralls (B.M. in Cello Performance, 2025).
Read more memories of Antonio Lysy by colleagues and students.
Read the full article in the May 2026 print edition of the BBC Music Magazine.