The Dorset Cello Classes

Dorset Classes Tutor - Rebecca Gilliver

Rebecca Gilliver is the principal cellist at the London Symphony Orchestra and a Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She joined the LSO in 2001 as co-principal, then progressed to the principal chair in 2009. She has been lucky enough to work with conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, Valery Gergiev and Sir Simon Rattle.

Early success in national and international competitions led to critically acclaimed debut recitals at the Wigmore Hall in London and Carnegie Hall, New York. Rebecca has played concertos with the LSO, the Halle and the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields and participated in festivals such as Bath, Bergen and the Manchester International Cello Festival. A keen chamber musician, she has played and recorded with the Nash Ensemble, collaborated with artists such as Nikolai Znaider, Sarah Chang and Roger Vignoles and is a regular attendee at the renowned ISM Prussia Cove, a chamber music festival in Cornwall. Rebecca and class accompanist, Paul Janes (see below) have played together in a duo on and off for over 30 years.

As a teacher, Rebecca has coached at Alpine Kammermusik, a chamber music course for students and amateurs, the Aboyne Cello Festival, Pro Corda and The Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. She has also coached at the various London music colleges and during the pandemic, has been coaching in several zoom classes for conservatoires in the USA.

She plays on an antique Italian cello by GB Rogeri, built in 1695, which has been purchased by a partnership for Rebecca to use.

Accompanist - Paul Janes

Raised in Hampshire, Paul Janes has lived in Manchester since first arriving in 1986 as a student at the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University. He has since forged a varied career in performing, teaching and examining, and as a pianist he is known for his versatility and musical sensitivity.

Since the 1990s he has worked regularly as a freelance orchestral pianist, particularly with the Hallé and BBC Philharmonic, often featuring in prominent solo parts including Stravinsky’s ‘Petrushka’ and Percy Grainger’s ‘The Warriors’. He has performed concertos with, amongst others, the BBC Philharmonic and London Mozart Players, and worked as a soloist with conductors such as Yan Pascal Tortelier, Richard Hickox and Leonard Slatkin.

As a solo pianist Paul specializes in the Viennese Classical School and in early 20th century French music, but has explored all corners of the repertoire from Scarlatti through to George Crumb.

Paul has a particular love of chamber music and ensemble performance, and over the years has worked with many outstanding musicians, including Steven Osborne, Rebecca Gilliver, Roderick Williams, Simon Rowland-Jones, Marcia Crayford, Moray Welsh, Adam Walker, the Carducci and Piatti Quartets and Joshua Ellicott, and frequently collaborates with Manchester-based musicians including the Chagall Ensemble and flautist Laura Jellicoe. He has also performed regularly with the contemporary ensemble Psappha, including a centenary performance of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in 2012 and an appearance at the Cheltenham International Festival.

Paul has been a member of the teaching staff at the RNCM since 1993, and is an examiner, trainer and moderator for ABRSM. He is the proud owner of a 1907 Steinway Model ‘O’ grand.

Cellist Zoë Martlew (Improvisation Class)

Cellist, composer, performer, cabaret artist, educator, mentor, media commentator and concert narrator, the increasingly un-categorisable Zoë Martlew travels the world as solo performer and with some of the world’s most renowned contemporary music ensembles, chamber groups, improvisation, film, electronica, multi-media, pop, rock, dance and theatre companies.

She is much in demand for educational activities, including artistic director of the Saigon Chamber Music Festival in Vietnam, cello tutor for the NYO and a regular jury member for international competitions. She studied at the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music, Clare College, Cambridge and the Chopin Academy in Warsaw.