Yet for all the meticulousness of its performances, what one departs with is a flowing, ebbing impression of the music, not the thought that went into it. Besides his work with the Guarneri Quartet, Mr. Soyer has appeared in recital with Rudolf Serkin, Peter Serkin, Meiczyslaw Horzowski, and Andras Schiff. He has also been soloist with the major orchestras of the world. Mr. Soyer is on the faculty of the Curtis Institute , the Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Maryland. I use them for myself and in my teaching at the Curtis Institute, because they cover pretty much the whole of cello technic.
Some students ask about the difficulties of thumb position.
I do not spend a great deal of time on this, and it is of no great concern in chamber music. But actually thumb position is one of the easier parts of the instrument. Intonation is no more difficult there than elsewhere on the cello. He has appeared at many of the world's famous festivals, including Marlboro, Spoleto, and Israel festivals, and has numerous recordings to his credit. Mr. Soyer plays a Gugliano cello from Naples, Italy, 1778.