When Marion Portelance performs at the King Charles coronation concert on Sunday, it will be on a cello with a special connection to the monarch.
The Royal College of Music student from Montreal will play an 1804 William Forster cello, believed to be the same one King Charles once owned.
The 24-year-old says she is honored and delighted to perform at the concert, which follows Saturday’s coronation ceremony.
“It’s really an extraordinary experience, it’s still unreal for me to be able to participate in this historic event and to be in such an important place,” she said in an interview.
She said the instrument was used by King Charles during his student years. It was later sold to benefit a charity, Ms.me Portelance, then donated by the Linbury Trust to the collection of the Royal College of Music.
“This instrument has so much history, so it’s even more meaningful for me to be able to play on it,” she said.
Mme Portelance is part of a string quartet that will perform a new arrangement of the song Somewhere of West Side Story, as part of a collaboration that includes the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet. The Royal College of Art will provide a visual backdrop.
The graduate of the Montreal Conservatory of Music says it’s a great collaboration between all kinds of arts and thinks it represents very well the fact that King Charles has always been a great defender of the arts, and in particular of the music.
She reports that she was contacted a few months ago to ask if she was free the first weekend in May, but only later found out why.
Pop stars Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and opera singer Andrea Bocelli are among the headliners due to perform at Sunday’s concert at Windsor Castle.
Mme Portelance had the chance to visit the site for the first time on Thursday for a rehearsal, which made the situation all the more real.
Marion Portelance points out that she’s more excited than nervous, but tries not to wonder if the King will pay any particular attention to her performance on the cello he used to play with.