Over the past couple of years I have been commissioning solo pieces by  cellist-composers (Kit Downes, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Zoë Martlew, Colin Alexander, Laura Moody & Jakob Kullberg). I was excited to premiere the set of 6 solo pieces in London on January 21st 2025 and will release recordings of the pieces with Delphian Records in 2026.

Recently, I became obsessed with contemporary (and historic) cellist-composers who wrote for solo cello. In particular, I was deeply inspired by Thomas Demenga’s enormous and fantastic piece, EFEU. I was struck by how novel these pieces often were and how inescapable it was that these cellists left something original of themselves, their sound and technique in the music. They demonstrated the incredible versatility of the instrument for different music and different musicians. Many pieces forced me to make sounds I had not yet imagined which continued to inspire and challenge me.

In my opinion, much of the most fantastic and inventive contemporary solo cello music is being played live by brilliant players who are able to make it themselves. I am lucky to know so many great cellists who play their own music. I managed to persuade a few to write something down for me. 

The project ‘for cello, by cellists’ is the result of this curiosity. 6 solo pieces, written across a variety of styles by 6 different, brilliant musicians.