Cellist Alice Murray is forging a career as a versatile and dynamic musician. Her work in chamber ensembles has led to performances at St Martin-in-the-Fields, the City Lights Festival and the Charterhouse International Music Festival. She performed at Arvo Pärt’s 70th birthday celebrations in Paris as well as at a memorial concert for Rostropovich at the Wigmore Hall.
In 2004 she performed Saint-Saens’ La Muse et le Poète for violin and cello with her twin sister Harriet and the Junior Trinity Symphony Orchestra. She has performed on BBC Radio 3 for the premier of The Angel in the Forest by Julian Marshall and recently appeared alongside pianist Chilly Gonzales at the Soho Theatre.
Alice completed her master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Felix Schmidt, having previously received her bachelor’s degree from Trinity College of Music as a scholarship student of Natalia Pavlutskaya. Whilst here, Alice performed with the Symphony and Concert Orchestras under conductors including Yan Pascal Tortelier, Pietarri Inkinen and Semyon Bychkov. Other orchestral positions include Principal Cellist of the Young Musicians’ Symphony Orchestra and Co-Principal of the Jersey Chamber Orchestra.
As a soloist Alice has performed the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Wycombe Sinfonia. She has also participated in masterclasses with renowned musicians including Robert Cohen, Colin Carr, Natalie Clein and Gordon Nikolic.
Having become more involved with jazz and improvised music since studying at the Royal Academy, Alice also performs as a member of the Joe Wright Octet, playing at prestigious jazz venues in London including Vortex Jazz Club, the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho and the City Arts and Music Project in Shoreditch. She has also played in the on screen orchestra for BBC drama, The Britz.
Royal Academy of Music
London, UK
Trinity College of Music
London, UK
What is your earliest musical memory?
I was 4 years old when my Mum took me along to a Kay Tucker cello workshop which she was involved in. I remember sitting on a sewing box with my cello as all the chairs were too high and I had my teddy bear attached to my stand for company! I was playing the cello with about 10 other children and I absolutely loved it!
Which three people, living or dead, would you most like to have dinner with and why?
Firstly, the cellist Yo Yo Ma because he is such an interesting and diverse musician. I would love to ask him what his most memorable experience/performance has been so far. Jessica Ennis as I think she is inspirational and I would like to ask her how she keeps her focus when she is competing. Finally, cellist Jacqueline Du Pre so we could talk about anything and everything to do with music and the cello!