ROBIN AITCHISON CELLO OWNERS
ABEL SELAOCOE is a South African cellist who is redefining the parameters of the cello across a plethora of genres and styles. He plays a copy of a circa 1735 Montagnana, made by Robin Aitchison in 2020 with the generous support of the Alan Powell Trust. Combining virtuosic performance with improvisation, singing and body percussion, Abel has a special interest in curating recital programmes that link Western and non-Western musical traditions, with a view to helping classical music reach a more diverse audience.
From collaborations with world musicians and beatboxers, to concerto performances and solo classical recitals, Abel’s musical vision is reaching audiences at the most prestigious venues in the UK and US. He performed his solo BBC Proms debut in August 2021, curating a programme with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBCNOW), Chesaba and Gnawa Ensemble. He is Artistic Partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Artist in Association with the BBC Singers. Winner of the Instrumentalist award of the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2023, he made his Wigmore Hall debut in July 2024, and in October 2024 he and the Bantu Ensemble make their collective Carnegie Hall debut.
Abel’s debut album Where is Home? (Hae Ke Kae) on the subject of home and refuge was released with Warner Classics in September 2022. Its dual title, in English and Sesotho, reflects the album’s European and African influences and the album includes pieces inspired by South African and Tanzanian musical tradition. To hear Abel playing his Montagnana copy, visit our video page here. Photograph by Christina Ebenezer https://www.abelselaocoe.com
MIKHAIL NEMTSOV is Principal Cello with the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra. He plays a copy of the Marquis de Corberon Stradivari cello made by Robin Aitchison in 2016. Misha grew up in St. Petersburg and went to Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester after studying at the Rimsky-Korsakow music school. His wonderful professors included Nicholas Jones, Hannah Roberts, Ralph Kirshbaum and Gary Hoffman. Misha has appeared as a soloist all over the world. Recent highlights have included concerts with the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, the Philharmonia Orchestra London, the Porto Symphony Orchestra, the European Union Chamber Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and the London Festival Orchestra. His achievements won him the Pierre Fournier Award, a Gold Medal from the Royal Northern College of Music and Silver Medal from the Rostropovich Memorial Competition. He and his sister are the Nemtsov Duo, who have recently released a CD on Azurro Records and a later one by CMF. Misha teaches at the Birmingham Conservatoire and Royal Northern College of Music, where he is an Associate Honorary Artist. He has been a solo cellist with the Frankfurt Opern- und Museumsorchester since August 2019. https://www.nemtsovduo.com/
EDWARD FURSE grew up in London and studied at the University of Birmingham, Royal Academy of Music and with Southbank Sinfonia, before spending three years as a member of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.
Since returning to the UK, Ed has enjoyed a varied freelance career, working most regularly with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and various BBC orchestras. He has also given performances of cello concertos by Dvořák, Elgar, Miaskovsky and Haydn, recitals with pianist Craig White, and played live to film screenings with the Covent Garden Sinfonia.
Having previously worked on Les Misérables and the National Theatre’s productions of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and All’s Well That Ends Well, he appeared in The Lost Estate’s The Great Christmas Feast from 2018 to 2021.
Ed joined Welsh National Opera in September 2022 and plays a Robin Aitchison copy of the Marquis de Corberon Stradivari made in 2020.
STEPHEN ORTON the cellist of the Chilingirian Quartet and was principal cellist in the Academy of St Martin in the Fields from 1985 to 2020. He plays a copy of a c.1740 Montagnana cello made by Robin Aitchison in 2001. Stephen was born in Ripon, Yorkshire, and studied with William Pleeth at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has been principal cello with the Bournemouth Sinfonietta and the City of London Sinfonia and was also a member of the Delme Quartet for ten years. He has acted as guest principal cello with the London Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonia. In 1985 Stephen became principal cello with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and has played concertos with the orchestra. He was also a member of the Academy Chamber Ensemble, touring internationally and making numerous recordings. Stephen became cellist of the Chilingirian Quartet following the retirement of Philip de Groote in 2013. http://www.asmf.org/ http://chilingirianquartet.co.uk/
He decided to leave the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in December 2020 in order to devote more time to encouraging young students and coaching chamber groups.
Click here for an interview with Stephen Orton
GILLIAN THODAY teaches at the Royal Northern College of Music, Chethams School of Music and the Guildhall School of Music Junior Department. She brings to her teaching the benefits of her years of study – with Florence Hooton at the Royal Academy of Music and in Germany with Andre Navarra, one of the greatest cellists and pedagogues of his day – together with the fruits of her own extensive experience as a performer and teacher. Her approach combines a strong emphasis on technical schooling with a recognition of the need always to nurture the individual voice of the student. She aims to give them the technical, musical and organisational skills for the student to ultimately become independent. Many of her students have won awards over the years and are themselves now active members of the music profession.
Gillian’s performing career has included solo appearances at all the major recital venues in London and TV and radio broadcasts for the BBC. She has given first performances of works commissioned by her and has worked extensively with chamber ensembles in the contemporary field, with radio broadcasts, CD recordings and tours in England, Europe and the USA. In the orchestral field she has worked with most of the major orchestras in London and as a guest principal and studio player. Amongst other fine instruments, she owns a Guadagnini copy by Robin Aitchison.
MATTHEW SHARP is a renowned cellist, baritone, and actor. He plays a copy of the c.1735 Montagnana cello played by his mentor, Boris Pergamenschikow pictured here, which Robin made in 2013. Matthew studied the cello at the Köln Musikhochschule with Boris Pergamenschikow and has performed at major venues and festivals worldwide. He has appeared with the RPO, LPO, RLPO, CBSO, EUCO, Manchester Camerata and Ural Philharmonic, given solo performances at the Glastonbury and Latitude festivals, recorded for Sony, Naxos and Avie, given over fifty world premieres, appeared in recital at Wigmore Hall, SBC and Salle Gaveau, and broadcast widely on TV and Radio.
As chamber musician, he has performed with the Amphion, Heath, Sacconi, Vertavo and Villiers quartets, Ensemble Epomeo and the Galliard Ensemble, with members of Brooklyn Rider, Grammy-nominated A Far Cry and Ensemble 360 and with, amongst others, Nicola Benedetti, David Le Page, Nicholas Daniel, Martin Fröst, Craig Ogden, Ksenija Sidorova, Katya Apekisheva, Dominic Harlan, Leslie Howard, Stephen Kovacevich, Viv Mclean and Johan Ullen. https://www.matthewsharp.net/ To hear Matthew play his cello, visit the Video Gallery.
SAMARA GINSBERG was born in London in 1982 and began learning the cello at school in Year 8. She went on to gain a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she studied with Stefan Popov. Since graduating she has enjoyed a varied freelance career encompassing solo performances, chamber music, session work, orchestral playing and theatre productions. Career highlights include performances at the BBC Proms, originating an onstage role in BEAM with Nadine Benjamin, orchestrating the strings on the Sea of Solitude video game soundtrack, and worldwide chamber music tours with Lincoln Center Stage. During 2020 she gained online notoriety when her 8-part multitrack video of the Inspector Gadget theme went viral, receiving over 3 million hits in 24 hours. This led to a YouTube channel featuring many other arrangements of retro cartoon and video game themes, eventually netting her an award from the Royal Philharmonic Society. In addition to her playing and arranging work she is also a regular contributor to Classical Music and The Strad magazines. Not content only with flexing her talents on the cello, Samara’s kazoo playing was once featured on a German Kinder Surprise commercial.
She plays a copy of a Milan period Guadagnini cello c.1755 made for her by Robin Aitchison in 2016, pictured here.
www.youtube.com/c/SamaraGinsbergCello
Cello Education: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1wFhzV7oDPtDCbhzWSmZlA
CHRISTOPHER MURRAY As cellist of the Heath String Quartet Christopher Murray has a busy performing schedule that takes him around the world. In 2016 the quartet won the Gramophone Chamber Award for their recording of the complete string quartets of Sir Michael Tippett, and in May 2013 became the first ensemble in fifteen years to win the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artists Award.
Solo highlights include performing alongside Piers Lane and Brett Dean as part of the composer’s Wigmore Hall Celebration, appearances at Aldeburgh Festival and performances as principal cello of Manchester Camerata.
Christopher gives regular solo recitals in the UK and is currently mid-way through an exciting series exploring baroque masterpieces for cello and harpsichord. He plays a willow backed copy of the Marquis de Corberon cello made by Robin Aitchison in 2014.
Heath Quartet concert dates: heathquartet.com/?post_type=audiotheme_gig
YVONNE-MARIE PARSONS Yvonne’s diverse musical career as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician has taken her around the globe. She plays with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, OSJ, City of London Sinfonia, English National Ballet, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, BBCNOW, RPCO, the Gabrieli Consort, and was principal cello with Longborough Festival Opera for 2 years. She enjoys wonderful chamber music including the Vale Piano Trio and Auriga Ensemble, London Concertante and Mezin Trio, and has performed cello concertos with orchestras across the world from the UK to Australia including with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Glasgow.
Her first show was the spectacular The Lord of the Rings at Drury Lane and in London’s west end she has played on Matilda, Les Misérables, The Wizard of Oz, Betty Blue Eyes, Oliver, Passion, Porgy and Bess, Carousel, The Woman in White. She was the cellist for The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Tour spanning 2012 and the UK tour of Ghost The Musical until early 2014. As a composer, her varied works have been performed around the world. She plays a copy of a Milan period Guadagnini made for her by Robin Aitchison in 2012,
URŠKA HORVAT
Born in Ljubljana (Slovenia), Urška Horvat is a versatile award-winning solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. She is the recipient of numerous prizes from national and international competitions, including 1st prize at the Soloists Competition 2016, that led her to perform the Dvořák cello concerto at the Cadogan Hall. She performs extensively as a chamber musician and soloist across Europe. One of her performances has recently been broadcast on BBC Radio 3. As a member of the Avant Trio, she released a CD by Sheva records which received a rave review in the BBC Music Magazine. She has recently launched a new CD David Winkler: Chamber Music now available through Da Vinci Classics. She is proud to be a Concordia Foundation Artist and a part of Live Music Now supported by Yehudi Menuhin. Urška plays on the Pergamenschikow Montagnana copy made for her by Robin Aitchison in 2019.
HELENA SVIGELJ
Helena Švigelj is a Slovenian cellist based in London. A passionate chamber and orchestral musician, she is principal cellist of the Dorset Opera Festival Orchestra, and performs with Tchaikovsky Camerata, English National Ballet, Bernardi Music Group, and Ensemble 23. She performs in a piano trio with Sasha Grynyuk (piano) and Yuri Zhislin (violin) and in Duo Furioso, a cello duo with cellist Urška Horvat with whom she works for Live Music Now.
She completed her Postgraduate Artist Diploma with Distinction at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, in the class of David Cohen. Prior to Postgraduate studies, Helena studied at Academy of Ljubljana for her Bachelor’s degree and at the Royal Conservatory of Mons in Belgium for her Master in Performance degree.
As a soloist she has performed with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra de chambre de Wallonie, Orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Mons, and Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra. She has won multiple prizes including the Trinity Laban Soloist Competition 2018, Silver Medal of the Worshipful Musicians Company, John Thompson String Ensemble Prize, 1st Prize at CAVATINA Intercollegiate Chamber Music Competition, 1st prize at the Vera Kantrovich Bach competition.
Helena plays a copy of the c.1735 Pergamenschikow Montagnana cello made by luthier Robin Aitchison made for her in 2021.
EVA RICHARDS graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2018, where she studied with Nicholas Trygstad. She is currently pursuing her MA in Cello Performance with Anthony Arnone at the University of Iowa. Eva teaches cello and coaches chamber music at the University of Iowa and has also given masterclasses and recitals at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Mississippi. She has performed in the Wigmore Hall and has premiered works in Manchester, Iowa, and the Midwest Composers’ Symposium in Cincinnati. As a soloist, Eva has recently performed concertos with the Laganside Sinfonia and the Ulster Orchestra in the final of the Flax Trust Music Awards.
Eva plays a Montagnana copy made by Robin Aitchison in 2019.
JOSEPHINE HORDER studied in London, Salzburg and Düsseldorf. Her career in chamber music has included many performances at the Wigmore Hall, and the South Bank as well as numerous recordings for radio. She is a committed and highly respected cello teacher.
With her husband Paul Barritt she runs a successful and popular series of chamber concerts in and around Tring, Hertfordshire. In 2015 she graduated after a 4-year training as a Feldenkrais Method practitioner and runs specialist Feldenkrais workshops for musicians, whether professionals, amateurs or students.
Jo plays an enlarged copy of a Milan period Guadagnini cello c1755 made by Robin in 2012, pictured here.
JOHN CATLOW trained as a cellist at the Royal Manchester College of Music (predecessor of the RNCM). He then embarked on a long and varied orchestral career with the LSO, the Hallé Orchestra as co-principal cello and, for eleven years as Principal Cello with the ENO. John has been retired for eleven years but is still very active both playing and conducting two choirs.
He plays a copy of the Marquis de Corberon Stradivari made for him by Robin in 2012. ‘Robin’s cello has given great momentum to my enthusiasm. I play this splendid Strad model every day and always wish that I had had it during my professional career.’
OLIVER MANSFIELD studied with Alison Moncrieff-Kelly at the East Sussex Academy of Music, who helped him gain a full scholarship to study at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Upon graduating Oliver was awarded with the Principal’s Prize. He then went onto study privately with renowned cellist Sue Lowe who has hugely influenced his pedagogic approach.
Establishing himself as a leading figure in cello pedagogy for young people, Oliver shares his engaging and thought out approach with aspiring cellists through individual lessons, workshops, courses and compositions. Oliver regularly organises events for cellists including Go Cello! a national cello festival set in Greenwich and Cello Club events for the London Cello Society. He loves teaching Cello, Musicianship, Ensemble and Chamber Music at Junior Trinity.
His own playing ranges from solo recitals given around the UK to freelance orchestral work such as being guest principal of the Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra. Oliver plays a copy of the Marquis de Corberon cello made by Robin Aitchison in 2007 and a Thomas Grünke bow from the Aitchison & Mnatzaganian Bow Exhibition.