Hats off, gentlemen…a genius? Well, perhaps not, but there's no denying that cellist and composer Clancy Newman is an exceptionally gifted and accomplished young musician, and it certainly seems safe to predict that he has a major career in his future. It is easy to forget that most of the great composers of the Western canon were acclaimed performers and that, until recently, most of the great performers were also well known composers. In today's highly specialized musical world, in which the boundaries separating composers, performers and audiences appear to be inexorably widening, it is extremely gratifying to encounter such a successful example of a musician working against the tide.