Amtrak Charging for Cellos?

Paul Katz

Amtrak Charging for Cellos? – by Paul Katz

The joys of a musical touring career continue! An Amtrak official recently stopped me from boarding a train to Boston in New York’s Penn Station, telling me that I must buy a seat for my cello!” I’ve been traveling Amtrak for 50 years and never once have I had to pay for the cello,” I protested. “I don’t make the rules, and I don’t know what trains you’ve been riding, but it’s on our website, so there is no way you can get on until you get a ticket.” The train was leaving in 15 minutes, so what the hell – furious and furiously, I ran to the ticket window and bought a second seat!

But later I checked Amtrak’s website and discovered (buried in a long list of Special Items), that cellos travel free – well, sort of – they can be carried on in lieu of a piece of baggage, and are subject to a $10 “service fee.” (Who knows what “service” we get, but even if it’s enforced, it’s a lot cheaper than a full fare.) Passengers are allowed two pieces of baggage – so you can bring one piece of baggage plus your cello. You will find cellos specifically mentioned as a Medium-Sized Musical Instrument that “may be transported free of charge.” I suggest everyone print this document and carry it when traveling on Amtrak. You might as well first try boarding with a pleasant smile, as I believe the provision is only sporadically enforced, and you may save yourself $10. But in case you are stopped, allow a little extra time for arguing, and for returning to the ticket window in the event that you lose!

Also, while perusing the Special Items page, I was relieved and gratified to learn that Amtrak does not allow firearms to be carried on board (but you can check 50 lbs of guns and ammo in baggage, at no service charge)! Most of us, I hope, will not be using that free service, and the $10 to keep our instrument with us is not too onerous. But as trains, planes, customs and travel in general are becoming increasingly problematic for musicians with instruments, I recommend traveling armed with a folder of documents for self-protection. Print out the Amtrak regulation – neither I nor the Amtrak officials were properly informed and Amtrak charged me a full fare for the cello.

When traveling by air, carry the FAA guidelines which specifically allow for musical instruments in the cabins of aircraft.

Several instruments have been confiscated by airport customs officials in Europe recently; CelloBello will soon be posting a blog on this topic with more information. When crossing borders, be prepared and have proof of ownership papers for your instrument. Our research tells us that it may now be helpful, perhaps necessary, to obtain an ATA Carnet, also known as the Merchandise Passport, which is an international customs document that expedites temporary imports (such as musical instruments) into foreign countries.

You never know which travel official may be waiting for you with a new regulation, so travel well-armed with the proper documents in case of a surprise attack!

AUTHOR

Paul Katz

Paul Katz is known for his 26-year career as cellist of the internationally acclaimed Cleveland Quartet; as a world-renown teacher of his instrument; for his featured role mentoring young cellists in the made for PBS film Talent Has Hunger, directed by Academy Award nominated Director Josh Aronson; and as Founder and Artistic Director of CelloBello.org, the world’s leading online resource center for cellists. As soloist Katz has played throughout North America, Europe and China. Of special interest to cellists is the Cleveland Quartet’s recording of the Schubert Quintet for two cellos with Paul Katz and Yo-Yo Ma.

In 2010, with the support of WGBH in Boston and NEC, Katz created CelloBello.org, “to build a global cello community that serves all cellists and enthusiasts world-wide with the highest level of musical instruction, inspiration and interaction, regardless of location, race, socio-economic status, or ability level". Katz’s video lessons are in seven languages and interviews, blogs, live cello chats, streamed concerts and masterclasses are contributed by dozens of the world’s greatest artist/teachers.

Mr. Katz has received many honors, including the American String Teacher’s Association “Artist-Teacher of the Year 2003;” Indiana University’s “Chevalier du Violoncelle,” awarded for distinguished achievements and contributions to the world of cello playing and teaching; Chamber Music America’s highest honor, The Richard M. Bogomolny National Service Award, awarded for a lifetime of distinguished service in the field of chamber music; and an Honorary Doctorate of Musical Arts from Albright College. Mr. Katz served for six years as President of Chamber Music America, the national service organization in the United States that has in its membership virtually all of the country’s professional chamber music ensembles, as well as hundreds of presenting organizations, music festivals and managers. As an author, he has appeared in numerous publications and wrote the liner notes for the Cleveland Quartet’s three-volume set of the complete Beethoven Quartets on RCA Red Seal.

Mr. Katz has appeared as soloist in New York, Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, Los Angeles, and other cities throughout North America. He was a student of Gregor Piatigorsky, Janos Starker, Bernard Greenhouse, Gabor Rejto and Leonard Rose. In 1962 he was selected nationally to play in the historic Pablo Casals Master Class in Berkeley, California and was a prizewinner in the Munich and Geneva Competitions. Of special interest to cellists are his recordings of the Dohnanyi Cello Sonata for ProArte Records and the Cleveland Quartet’s recording on Sony Classical of the Schubert two-cello quintet with Yo-Yo Ma. The Cleveland Quartet has nearly 70 recordings to its credit on RCA Victor, Telarc International, Sony, Philips and ProArte. These recording have earned many distinctions including the all-time best selling chamber music release of Japan, 11 Grammy nominations, Grammy Awards for Best Chamber Music Recording and Best Recorded Contemporary Composition in 1996, and “Best of the Year” awards from Time Magazine and Stereo Review.

In September of 2001, Mr. Katz joined the faculty of The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, following five years at Rice University in Houston and twenty years (1976-1996) of teaching at the Eastman School of Music. He has mentored many of the fine young string quartets on the world’s stages today including the Ariel, Biava, Balourdet, Cavani, Chester, Harlem, Jupiter, Kuss, Lafayette, Maia, Meliora, Omer, Parker, T’ang, Verona and Ying Quartets. One of America’s most sought after cello teachers, his cello students, in addition to membership in many of the above quartets, have achieved international careers with solo CD’s on Decca, EMI, Channel Classics and Sony Classical. They occupy positions in many of the world’s major orchestras including principal chairs of orchestras such as Detroit, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Oslo, Norway and Osaka, Japan, and are members of many American symphony orchestras such as Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, National Symphony, Pittsburgh, Rochester and St. Louis.

Mr. Katz has been a participant at many of the world’s major summer music festivals and schools including the Aspen Festival, Marlboro Festival, Bowdoin Festival, the Yale Summer School of Chamber Music, the Perlman Music Program, Yellow Barn, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany, ProQuartet in France, Domaine Forget, Orford, Toronto Summer Music, and the Banff Center for the Arts in Canada, the Steans Institute of The Ravinia Festival, The Heifetz Institute, and served as Director of the young artists program at the Great Lakes Chamber Festival. His hundreds of master classes worldwide include many of the major music schools of North and South America, Europe, Israel, Japan and China. Mr. Katz frequently sits on the juries of international cello and chamber music competitions, including the Leonard Rose International Cello Competition, the Gyeongnam International Cello Competition in Korea, and the international string quartet competitions of Banff, London, Osaka, Munich, Graz and Geneva.

Paul Katz resides in Boston, MA with his wife, pianist Pei-Shan Lee and plays an Andrea Guarneri cello dated 1669.

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