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Nicholas Stringfellow

Associate Head of Strings and Cello Tutor

Nick Stringfellow began learning the cello through the Rotherham Schools Music Service and soon won a place to study at Chethams School of Music. From this point he started to develop a fascination with the art of ensemble playing and a love of the chamber music repertoire.He also formed a continuo partnership with harpsichordist Steven Devine, experimenting and developing an improvised style of continuo playing which is still central to his cello playing today.

As a student of Clive Greensmith at the RNCM, Nick was tutored in the American cello tradition based on techniques developed by Leonard Rose from Galamian.After continuing his studies at the RCM with Anna Shuttleworth and Anthony Pleeth he got a job as a music librarian with the BBC, allowing him to move to London.He soon joined 鈥淪pirituoso鈥, the resident ensemble at Handel House and 鈥淢ercurius Company鈥, building a reputation for their thrilling music and dance performances.Nick continued this interest, collaborating with choreographer Will Tuckett on 鈥淎rchduke Variations鈥 with members of the Royal Ballet and his 鈥淎rtaria Piano Trio鈥.

An appointment as cellist in the London Mozart Ensemble saw the beginning of Nick鈥檚 musical relationship with violinist David le Page.This provided an outlet for Nick鈥檚 continuo improvisations as a foil for David in his breathtaking Vivaldi Four Seasons performances.Nick has worked on several albums with David including 鈥淭he Reinvention of Harmony and Imagination鈥, 鈥淎s the Crow Flies鈥 and the soon to be released tango album 鈥淏arcos鈥 featuring bandoneon player and composer Eduardo Garcia.

In 2004 Nick was invited to became principal cellist at Orchestra of the Swan.He has also worked as soloist with the orchestra including performances of 鈥淰ariations鈥 by Andrew Lloyd Webber for cello and rock band and he gave the European premiere of Doug Cuomo鈥檚 鈥淏lack Diamond Express Train to Hell鈥 for solo cello, sampler and orchestra.As part of the Orchestra's involvement in the Ludlow Festival Nick performed a series of concerts, presenting the unaccompanied cello suites by Bach.

Continually in demand as an orchestral principal Nick also works with many eminent artists in the rock and pop world, leading cello sections for James, Smokey Robinson, George Benson, Dionne Warwick, Melanie C, Gloria Estefan, Johnny Mathis and the Led Zeppelin Masters. Nick spent two years as part of Russell Watson's touring band and also collaborated with tenor Alfie Boe on a version of the John Prine classic 鈥淎ngel鈥檚 from Montgomery鈥 for solo voice and cello ensemble.

Nick was part of the studio orchestra for BBC Radio 2's 鈥淭he JFK Assassination: Minute by Minute鈥 providing a live soundtrack from BBC's Maida Vale studios and appearing with artists including Paul Carrack, Eliza Doolittle, Magic Numbers and David McAlmont.As a session musician Nick regularly works at Air, Angel and Abbey Road studios in London for session fixers Isobel Griffiths, COOL Music, English Session Orchestra and Hilary Skewes.He has subsequently appeared on many film and TV soundtracks including 鈥淒racula Untold鈥, 鈥淛ason Bourne鈥, 鈥淪uite Francaise鈥, 鈥淕host in the Shell鈥 and 鈥淜ing Arthur鈥.

As a string quartet player Nick has appeared many times as guest cellist with the Fitzwilliam Quartet.At the Renewal Arts Festival 2008 in Caux, Switzerland they collaborated with saxophonist Uwe Steinmetz for a performance of jazz suite 鈥淎产蝉辞濒耻迟别濒测鈥.Since 2011 Nick has been cellist with the Villiers Quartet, winners of the Radcliffe competition and resident string quartet at Oxford University.Famous for their ground-breaking 鈥淰Q New Works competition鈥, the quartet have received international acclaim for incorporating techniques like online voting and internet streaming of their competition performances, involving composers from across the globe - 鈥If only more quartet ensembles were so adventurous鈥 Strad, December 2014.The quartet have performed on the BBC Radio 3 programme 鈥淚n Tune鈥 and they were the featured string quartet on the soundtrack to the acclaimed BBC TV drama 鈥淟ady Chatterley's Lover鈥.