David Watkin

Professor David Watkin holds the Chair in Chamber Music and is a leading figure in Baroque and classical music performance. He serves as Principal Cello in prestigious ensembles like the English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique. His conducting roles span institutions including the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music, and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Educated at Cambridge under William Pleeth and Kenneth Bowen, he has received awards such as the Bulgin Medal and Gramophone Award for his recordings of Bach’s Cello Suites. His work bridges scholarship and musicianship, emphasizing historically informed performance practices.

• Key Ensembles: English Baroque Soloists, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
• Recordings: Vivaldi, Beethoven, Schubert Quintet with Tokyo Quartet
• Awards: Gramophone Award, BBC Music Magazine Award, Bulgin Medal

Research focuses on Baroque and Classical repertoires, with notable contributions to cello performance and Beethoven interpretation. His conducting extends to orchestras like the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Collaborations include Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Eroica Quartet.