Doors Open 7:00pm
Start 7:30pm
Finishes (approx.) 9:15pm
A rare chance to hear these fine cellists and experience their enjoyment of playing together, the Three Cellos are coming to St. Margaret’s Braemar!
The programme will include works by Bach, Handel, Haydn and Poulenc performed by Rebecca Gilliver, principal cello of the London Symphony, Alice Neary, chamber musician, international soloist and principal cello of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and James Halsey, Cello Festival Director and cellist of the Bingham String Quartet, always present a stunning programme with great expertise, sensitivity, humour and the utmost aplomb!
Rebecca Gilliver
Rebecca Gilliver is principal cellist of the London Symphony Orchestra. Originally joining the LSO as co-principal in 2001, she won the principal job in 2009. Rebecca has also played as guest principal all over the world, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, New Sinfonietta Amsterdam, and the World Orchestra for Peace.
Rebecca studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Melissa Phelps and William Pleeth and at the Royal Northern College of Music with Moray Welsh and Ralph Kirshbaum. She also spent a year studying mostly contemporary music in Basel with Thomas Demenga.
Success in national and International competitions led to critically acclaimed recitals at the day the Wigmore Hall, London and Carnegie Hall, New York. Rebecca has played extensively as arecitalist and as a soloist with the LSO, the Hallé Orchestra and London Mozart Players.
As a chamber musician, Rebecca has played and recorded with major artists such as the Nash Ensemble and is a regular participant at the renowned IMS Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music.
Rebecca Gilliver is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has given masterclasses at the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music amongst others. She runs her own cello course, The Dorset Cello Classes, and is a regular coach at Alpinekammermusik and the Aboyne Cello Festival. She has also founded a local music initiative, Worlds End Music, where she lives in Kent, bringing professional musicians together with their local audience.
Rebecca is obsessed with her two large dogs, enjoys kayaking and harbours a guilty love of Formula 1 racing.
Alice Neary
Alice enjoys a varied performing career as a chamber musician, soloist and as principal cellist of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Familiar to listeners of Radio 3, festival performances include BBC Proms chamber series, Malboro (USA), Bath International, Santa Fe (USA) and Lofoten. Recent concerto performances include Honegger and Cheryl Frances-Hoade concertos with BBC NOW.
Alice was a member of the Gould Piano Trio from 2001-2018 - career highlights include the complete piano trios of Beethoven, Schubert and Dvorak at the Wigmore Hall, the commissioning of new works from Sir James MacMillan and Mark Simpson, regular tours of USA and over 25 CD releases.
Alice has appeared as guest cellist with numerous groups including the Nash Ensemble, Ensemble 360 and the Endellion, Elias, Bingham and Heath quartets. She collaborates with pianists Viv McLean, Benjamin Frith, Robin Green and Daniel Tong. Regular visits to International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove provide ongoing inspiration. In January 2022 Alice took part in a USA tour with Marlboro Music Festival musicians, (including performances at Carnegie Hall and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society). Future plans include Marlboro festival 2022, festival appearances at North Norfolk, North York Moors and Hellens Music Festivals, Don Quixote with BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the IMS 50th anniversary concert at Wigmore Hall.
Alice studied with Ralph Kirshbaum at the RNCM and, as a Fulbright scholar, with Timothy Eddy at Stonybrook, USA. As a teacher, Alice has been tutor in cello at the Royal Northern College of Music and Royal College of Music. She is now based in her home town of Cardiff at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where she was awarded a Fellowship in 2015. Alice is also a mentor for Chamber Studio. She and her husband, David Adams founded the Penarth Chamber Music Festival in 2014. Alice plays a cello by Alessandro Gagliano of 1710.
James Halsey
James Halsey studied cello at the Royal College of Music with Eileen Croxford. Whilst still a senior student in the early 1980s, James joined the Auriol String Quartet and was straightaway involved in more than 40 recitals each season. This love of chamber music stayed and developed through his career and he is now cellist of the Bingham String Quartet and the Tagore String Trio, and also played with the Dartington Piano Trio. With these ensembles he has played all over the world, broadcast frequently, and made numerous recordings. At present he coaches on seven annual chamber music courses. As a solo cellist, James has performed widely in the British Isles, and has played Beethoven Sonatas and unaccompanied Bach in Japan and Australia as well as the UK. He is much in demand as a teacher and several of his former pupils are cellists in professional string quartets. He is Professor of Cello at the North East Scotland Music School and
the Royal College of Music Junior Department as well as being Director of the Aboyne Cello Festival.