The cello
Hadley O'Hara
A steady note and a bold idea
Hadley O'Hara brings an old American family history and new ears to the songs. She listens closely, feels deeply and plays the cello. Her low notes help hold the Sharpies together.
At the first Tumbalalaika rehearsal, the students crowd out the melody. Hadley keeps one low cello line going after everyone stops; they start again around her note. She gives the group room to hear one another.
After their café concert, Hadley asks, “What if the concert had a story?” Her question turns a successful evening into a bigger ambition: Jewish The Musical, the school show the students create inside JEWISH. She helps defend the proposal at school and makes a rehearsal schedule that respects Oksana's journey home and the twins' work shifts. Her care is practical: the whole group has to be able to take part.
