Our cello soloist, Andrew Taylor, was born in Durham and educated at St Mary's Music School Edinburgh, Lancaster University, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His cello teachers included Ruth Beauchamp, David Fletcher and Professor Leonard Stehn.

Andrew has taken part in public masterclasses with Steven Isserlis and Raphael Wallfisch, and has played under distinguished conductors including Sir Colin Davis, Pierre Boulez and Kurt Masur. He has wide experience of solo and ensemble perfomance, having worked in such contrasting settings as the Albert Hall (BBC Proms), on a boat in the Lakes, and at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.

Andrew has performed many of the great solo works for cello and orchestra, including Elgar, Lalo, Saint-Saens, Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Haydn. He enjoys a busy life teaching the cello in Surrey, as well as performing. He plays a cello by Fabrizio Portanti, made in 1990.