30 Aug Open Fires and Philosophy with Steuart

On September 28, Les Délices will host our annual benefit event. This year, the event is titled All the Pleasures, and will be a celebration of all the wonderful pursuits that make our lives a little brighter. Beautiful music will accompany delicious food and fine conversation music in the lovely setting of the Shaker Heights Country Club. There will be a silent auction featuring items ranging from baseball tickets to a private meal.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this beautiful event.

Purchase your tickets now!

In the weeks leading up to our f├¬te, we are going to feature each of our artists so you can get to know them better. Today’s featured guest is Steuart Pincombe!

You’ll probably recognize Steuart Pincombe as a regular guest with Les Délices. He grounds the ensemble as a talented performer on baroque cello and viola da gamba. When he isn’t here in Cleveland with us, or performing with other ensembles around the country, Steuart lives on an off-grid farm in Missouri with his wife, Michelle. Steuart is a very thoughtful person, and his answers to our questions took a turn for the philosophical. Read on to learn more!

If you were an 18th century person of leisure, of all the pleasures, how would you prefer to pass your time?

Probably some sort of combination – After a little eating and drinking, I’d very likely take a gamble and dance through the nearest garden whilst chatting with the various lifeforms contained therein.

As a 21st century person, how do you prefer to pass your time when you aren’t working?

I prefer to spend my leisure time learning about various historical building techniques and how they can be implemented today, however, I often tend to drink coffee and daydream instead…

Do you enjoy cooking? Have you ever tried any 18th century recipes? If so, what have you made and how did it go?

Yes, I love cooking! I tend to improvise my meals – generally this works out well but not always! I can’t recall preparing any specific 18th century recipes, but much of my cooking is accomplished over an open fire pit and a primitive stone oven made from various large stones around my house. In this sense I suppose my cooking very much resembles an 18th century style.

Do you enjoy gardening and what do you enjoy about it?

I love gardening, in fact I love it so much that my wife and I are in the process of acquiring land to operate a small organic farm. To me, there is little better in life than gathering, catching, and preparing the food we eat! It reminds us that this world is designed to sustain life – both the king and the pauper can grow the same quality tomato (no matter how advanced the technology of the wealthy, it will never supplant the natural organic compost available to all!) This is a beautiful thing and I take great hope in it for restoring lives!

Do you find any connections between your practice of music and your time in the garden?

It is essential for me that I spend time working the earth. My artistry is informed both by the natural beauty of the garden and the science of how to support the complex life cycles that the garden produces. Think about it, all of the beauty we artists create can only come from what already exists (both material and immaterial). So the more time spent learning from the beauty in front of us, the more effective and ‘life supporting’ our art becomes!

Sing it, Steuart!

Purchase your tickets, and stay tuned! Next week, we’ll chat with violinist Julie Andrijeski!