We are delighted to welcome Anna Stuart as our new No. 9 Cello.
Anna began learning the cello at age 7 and went on to attend Junior Academy, where she was a pupil of Penelope Lynex and Ben Davies. At 18, having tried out a number of other instruments with varying success, she decided to make a go of it with the cello and auditioned for the BMus(Hons) course at the RNCM in Manchester, from which she graduated in 2008 under the tutelage of Emma Ferrand. Following a year-long internship in orchestral management, Anna then moved to Düsseldorf to join the class of Gregor Horsch at the Robert Schumann Hochschule, completing her MMus in Orchestral Performance in 2013.
During her studies she took part in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy and was also a member of the Orchestral Academy of the Essener Philharmoniker, which led to a further 2-year contract with the orchestra. Since then, Anna has been living as a freelance cellist in Essen, working with a number of orchestras and ensembles in the region including the Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen, the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal and the Beethoven Orchester Bonn.
Anna joins the RPO just in time for our coast-to-coast US tour, and you'll be able to catch her in UK concerts from February onwards.