Steven Isserlis

Steven Isserlis is a cellist whose passion for music transcends conventional divisions, acclaimed worldwide for his musicality and technique alike. He is also one of the most generous teachers in the cello world: he gives masterclasses regularly all over the globe, and has long been Artistic Director of the masterclass and chamber music seminar IMS Prussia Cove. Learning from him means getting inside that rare blend of scholarship, imagination and sheer joy in the music.

He is equally at home drawing the audience into his circle of friends for chamber music or in recital; delving into the historical archives to emerge with a forgotten gem; or on the concert platform with some of the world's most prestigious orchestras and conductors. British-born, Isserlis takes a strong interest in authentic performance, playing with many of the foremost period instrument orchestras. Recent seasons have seen him perform all Beethoven's works for cello with fortepianist Robert Levin both in Boston and at London's Wigmore Hall, and perform the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Sir Simon Rattle.

Schumann is a particular passion: he performed Schumann's Cello Concerto on a major tour of Germany, spearheaded a Schumann project in Japan, and performed in an evening of words and music dedicated to the story of Schumann and Brahms - with a script written by Isserlis himself - in London and New York.

Writing and playing for children is another major interest. His first book, a children's history of the lives of six great composers, Why Beethoven Threw the Stew, was published by Faber and Faber in October 2001, and a sequel, Why Handel Waggled his Wig, followed in 2006.

With an award-winning discography, Isserlis' recordings reflect his diverse interests in repertoire; his release of the complete Solo Cello Suites by Bach on the Hyperion label was met with the highest critical acclaim and won many awards. Awarded a CBE in 1998 in recognition of his services to music, he has received many other honours, including in 2000 the Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau (Schumann's birthplace).