biographies
Richard Tunnicliffe
Cellist and gamba player Richard Tunnicliffe has enjoyed a long and varied career at the forefront of Britain’s thriving period-instrument movement, combining this with a lively involvement in “modern” performance.
He is principal cello with the Avison Ensemble, whose performances and recordings of English string music of the 18th century are meeting with considerable critical success. In addition he is regularly invited to be principal/continuo cello or viola-da-gamba soloist with major Orchestras. These have included the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (with whom he has been associated since its foundation), Boston Symphony, Frankfurt Radio S.O., City of Birmingham S.O., English National Opera, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the London Mozart Players.
Richard’s recordings are many and varied; a disc of early Italian music including the complete solo cello music of Domenico Gabrielli, the Kontakion for cello and piano by John Joubert and the complete cello concerti by 18thC Durham-based composer John Garth with the Avison Ensemble (the latter being chosen as critic’s choice by The Gramophone, Concerto recording of the month by The Strad magazine, and twice as CD of the week by Classic FM) and a wide range of chamber music. He will be recording Bach’s cello suites in Autumn 2010.
He teaches baroque and classical cello at the RCM, London.