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Meet the Musicians!

Introducing Brian Hodges
Principal Cello

By Ellie McKinnon

Brian Hodges

Meeting the Cello

The cello found Brian Hodges when he was about 10 years old; a 5th grade orchestra visited his 4th grade class at his San Antonio Texas elementary school.  For Brian the mellow tones of the cello served as a siren call.  That was the instrument he wanted to master.  His parents, both professional musicians and university professors, were delighted and connected him with a fine teacher, Mary Ruth Leonard.  A kind and adept music coach, she challenged young Brian to achieve excellence.  He studied with Ms. Leonard through high school and continues to carry on her legacy.  The cello he plays today belonged to her and was given to him after her death.

​STRAD Magazine

While in high school Brian studied at music camps, met many professional musicians and became aware of Strad Magazine.  Strad is an authoritative and influential magazine focused on stringed instruments, and young Brian read each monthly issue cover to cover.  “Never as a teenager,” he says chuckling, “would I have believed that someday I would be writing for that magazine.”  Hodges has written numerous articles and has gone beyond the mark with his book, Cello Secrets, in 2019.  Its focus is on cello technique and tips, covering everything from effective bowing, to suggestions for overcoming stage fright, to ideas for assuring success while playing in string quartets.  And Brian knows what he is talking about.

​Eastman School of Music

He plays more than one string instrument. While still in high school, Brian studied not only the cello but also the viola de gamba.  It’s an instrument related to the cello, but one that is rarely played today.  While the two instruments are cousins, the cello has no frets and an overhand bowing technique, the other has frets, and requires underhand bowing. Understanding both instruments served him well. He went directly from his Texas high school to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.  There, he had the opportunity to work some early music studies into his schooling, allowing him to play the viola de gamba in addition to his cello. He relates that while at Eastman, he felt like he had landed in heaven; there he was in the company of so many musicians who shared his love and dedication to classical music. But he also felt he was behind because of the level of musicianship his classmates had attained prior to coming to the conservatory.  If he was behind, he certainly caught up. He played in quartets and orchestras and dedicated himself to 4 or 5 hours of practice daily.  He received his undergraduate degree and continued on at Eastman
en route to a Master’s degree. And, then he met a pianist named Betsi. 

Brian Hodges and Kathy Stutzman during a BBO rehearsal

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​Teaching and a Writing Project

Graduation was followed by wedding bells, and the couple headed to Lansing, Michigan where Betsi continued her studies. Brian took advantage of opportunities there to work at a number of schools and found he loved teaching.  Both he and Betsi were aware that a doctorate is a requirement for most professorial positions and Brian especially wanted to teach at the collegiate level.  They spent the next three years in Greensboro at the University of North Carolina.  In addition to their studies, they provided two thirds of a trio consisting of Brian, Betsi and a violinist.  The school’s doctoral program required they present a new concert every semester.
Following graduation, Brian, now Dr. Hodges, split his time between a teaching position at Mercer College in Georgia and visiting Betsi in Greensborough where she completed her doctoral work.  It was a difficult year, but there were bright spots and he made connections that counted. During that year at Mercer, Brian collaborated with musician Jo Nardolillo.  Ms. Nardolillo subsequently moved on to Seattle where she wrote a book on violin technique. It was she who suggested that Hodges write his similar text on cello technique.

​Heading West

​​In 2008, with their advanced degrees in hand, Brian and Betsi headed westward.  Brian had secured a tenure track position at Boise State University.  As the years progressed, he also became a member of the Boise Baroque Orchestra and Betsi became the pianist for Opera Idaho. 
Covid19 halted performances and abruptly changed teaching methodology for the music faculty. Face to face lessons and live audiences became a valued memory. Brian deeply appreciates the numerous ways the BBO has kept musicians, their music, and their audience connected.  “However," Brian says, “Covid has taught me how grateful I am for human interaction!” That’s a response most of us share.  With a little good fortune, soon we will all be able to feel the energy of a live Boise Baroque Orchestra performance. And we will be listening for the voice of Brian’s cello as the music once again flows.

Brian with Betsi and their daughter Clara.

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Ellie McKinnon is a fan of the orchestra and a dog lover. She served as founding director of Boise State’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Currently she is a freelance writer and offers memoir writing workshops. ​