Felix Wurman
A visionary cellist who bent classical tradition, collaborating with choreographers and composers to create immersive, physically charged performances.
1958–2009 (age 51)·American cellist and composer·Birthday: October 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Felix Wurman was a musical polymath who treated the cello not just as an instrument but as a central character in theatrical, cross-disciplinary works. Trained at the Eastman School of Music, he quickly moved beyond the standard repertoire, drawn to collaboration and site-specific performance. His most famous work, 'The Selfish Giant', was a touring production for which he composed the score, performed it on cello, and acted the title role, blending Oscar Wilde's story with live music. He was a longtime collaborator with choreographer Moses Pendleton and the dance company Momix, his music providing the kinetic pulse for their visual spectacles. Wurman's approach was visceral and inventive; he might play a Bach suite in a forest or rig his cello with contact microphones for otherworldly sounds. His career, though cut short by illness, was a testament to the idea that music exists in conversation with space, movement, and story.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Felix was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Felix Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Felix's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2009Died at 51
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Created and performed the solo theatrical piece 'The Selfish Giant', touring it extensively throughout the United States and Europe.
- Served as the principal composer and cellist for the innovative dance theatre company Momix for many years.
- Commissioned and premiered new works for cello by contemporary composers, expanding the instrument's repertoire.
- Recorded a unique album of Bach's Cello Suites in the acoustically rich setting of an empty swimming pool.
Did You Know?
He was a dedicated teacher who taught cello to students in inner-city Baltimore through the 'Kids on the Hill' program.
Wurman was known for performing in unconventional venues, including art galleries, barns, and outdoor natural settings.
He built and experimented with electric cellos and custom amplification to explore new sonic territories.
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