Principal Cello
Since his concerto debut at the age of ten, the award-winning English cellist Richard Harwood has performed concertos and chamber music in major venues, including in London, Vienna, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Paris and New York. As a concerto soloist, Richard has worked with conductors such as Mark Wigglesworth, Case Scaglione, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Okko Kamu and Yehudi Menuhin and with numerous orchestras. He is also an active chamber musician, collaborating with leading artists.
His discography includes a debut disc for EMI Classics, Composing Without the Picture with pianist Christoph Berner (Resonus), a solo album of concert works by film composers, and Christopher Gunning’s Cello Concerto. He features as a soloist on Patrick Doyle’s score to Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express.
Richard was appointed Principal Cello of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2018. He has been a principal of the John Wilson Orchestra and guest principal at the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, as well as the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and RTÉ Concert orchestras.
He began his studies with Joan Dickson, before continuing with other eminent teachers such as Steven Doane, David Waterman, Heinrich Schiff and Ralph Kirshbaum. Richard plays a cello by Francesco Rugeri, dated 1692.
Richard gratefully acknowledges the support of his Chair Partners, Tim Cagney and David Wilson.