 Official Website
www.jamesbarralet.com Recordings LAN289
James Barralet, cello
UK release date: 10/2009
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As winner of the 2007 Abstract Securities Landor Records competition, James will shortly be recording his debut solo CD. James began playing the cello at the age of five and was winner of the 2003 Royal Philharmonic Society's Julius Isserlis scholarship which enabled him to study for three years with Thomas Demenga at Basel Hochschule für Musik. He concluded his studies in 2006 with the Soloists Diploma. James previously studied with Hannah Roberts at the RNCM where he graduated with a first class honours degree, a professional performance diploma and a post-graduate performers diploma.
As a soloist, James has performed throughout Europe and in India, Korea, Russia and the USA. He made his concerto debut with Basel Symphony Orchestra in 2005 performing Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 and returned the following year with Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. In 2008 James performs at the Purcell Room as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artist series and at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.
Contemporary music is important for James and he has premiered new pieces by several composers including Raymond Head, Isabel Klaus, Philippe Kocher and Reto Stadelman. He is a member of innov'ensemble, a Swiss based group (soprano, flute, viola and cello) which specializes in contemporary music and performance. His musical interests include free improvisation, Hungarian folk and north Indian classical music. He began his Indian music training during a six month teaching visit to the Mathieson Music School in Calcutta and continued at the Ali Akbar School in Basel with internationally renowned sarod player, Ken Zuckerman. He has worked with tabla player, Shankar Chowdhury and will give concerts with him in 2008. He draws from this diverse pool inspiration for arrangements, which have been performed at the Graz festival in Austria, and at the Stratford and Warwick Festivals, amongst others.
James has won numerous prizes and awards including the Sir John Barbirolli Cello Prize and Nossek Prize at the RNCM, the Muriel Taylor Cello Scholarship and second prize in the Bromsgrove International Competition. James has participated in masterclasses with David Geringas at the Kronberg Cello Academy, Boris Pergamenschikow and Ralph Kirshbaum at IMS Prussia Cove and Benjamin Zander at the London Masterclasses, Robert Cohen in Varna, Bulgaria and Pieter Wispelwey in Boswil, Switzerland.
James is grateful for support he has received from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Denne Gilkes Trust, Hattori Foundation, Martin/Philharmonia Orchestra Trust, Musicians Benevolent Fund, Myra Hess Trust, Rudolf von Tobel Studienstiftung, Shirley Cattaral Award, the Swiss Government (Bundesstipendium), Tillett Trust and the Wingate Foundation.  |
