63, Cambridge Street • London • SW1V 4PS
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7976 5041 • email: info@tashmina.co.uk
Victoria Simonsen
Cello
Born in 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand, Victoria Simonsen has lived in the U.K. since 2002 and is in demand both nationally and internationally as soloist and chamber musician, having been described as ‘a musician of rare quality’ by The Strad. Simonsen was winner of the 2008 ROSL Music Competition's strings section, adding to her existing competition accolades which include the Barbirolli Cello Prize, Leonard Rose Prize, New Zealand Young Musician of the Year, New Zealand Performer of the Year and Royal Over-Seas League Travelling Scholarship.
Simonsen has performed throughout the UK, France, Far East Asia and New Zealand and is a regular concerto soloist with orchestras both in the UK and New Zealand. UK highlights include the Ryedale Festival, St David's Hall Cardiff, Leeds International Recital Series, Manchester International Cello Festival, BBC Proms Composer Portrait, Dartington International Festival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, London Masterclasses "Stars of the Future" and a masterclass with Mstislav Rostropovich. In 2005, Simonsen was awarded the prestigious Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians and she is currently a Solo Artist for the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme.
An interest in contemporary music lead to studies with Anthony Gilbert and her own compositions include a work performed by the RNCM Symphony Orchestra and a string quartet premiered at the 2006 Sonic Skylines Festival. Simonsen has also performed Matthias Pintscher's solo cello work at the BBC Proms, the world premiere of Edward Gregson's work at the Manchester International Cello Festival and a solo cello work at the Magnus Lindberg Festival.
Simonsen is a founding member of the Barbirolli Quartet, who are currently quartet-in-residence at Salford University and participants of the Countess of Munster Trust's 2008/09 Recital Scheme. The quartet recently made its Purcell Room debut to critical acclaim and will be making their Wigmore Hall debut in April 2008 supported by the Royal Over-Seas League. They are also winners of the 2008 Tunnell Trust Award and future engagements include Bridgewater Hall, The Chelsea Festival, St David’s Hall Cardiff, Cheltenham Music Festival and St James’s Piccadilly.
Simonsen graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2006 with a Masters degree. She studied cello with Ralph Kirshbaum and Karine Georgian and composition with Anthony Gilbert and gained distinctions in both. In 2005 she was awarded the Gold Medal, the highest award bestowed by the college, and at the same competition was voted winner of the Audience Prize. Her studies were enabled by the generous financial support from the Countess of Munster Trust, Patricia Pratt Scholarship, Philharmonia/Martin Musical Scholarship Fund and the Craxton Memorial Trust.
While still a student, Simonsen was appointed Section Principal Cellist of the Orchestra of Opera North (2005-2007) and has been Guest Principal Cellist with orchestras such as Scottish Opera, Northern Sinfonia and Lancashire Sinfonietta.
Victoria currently plays on an unnamed Italian cello from the eighteenth-century and a copy of Montagnana's 'Sleeping Beauty' made in 2000 by Noel Sweetman, Cambridge, New Zealand.