Victoria Simonsen

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Victoria Simonsen moved to the U.K. in 2002 to undertake postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying cello with Ralph Kirshbaum and Karine Georgian and composition with Anthony Gilbert, graduating with distinction in both. Since then she has been in high demand both nationally and internationally as soloist, chamber musician and in 2005, while still a student, she was appointed Section Principal Cellist with the Orchestra of Opera North. (She has recently relinquished her position with Opera North and will be based primarily in London in order to further pursue her musical ambitions, particularly in the solo and chamber music fields.)

In 2005, Victoria was awarded the prestigious Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. She is a founding member of the Barbirolli Quartet (formerly the Stillman String Quartet), who are currently quartet-in-residence at Salford University and participants of the Countess of Munster Trust's 2008/09 Recital Scheme. In the coming season, the quartet makes its Purcell Room debut, having been selected by the Park Lane Group for the Young Artists New Year Series 2008. She is also a Solo Artist for the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme and has worked as Guest Principal Cellist with several orchestras including Scottish Opera and Northern Sinfonia.

Victoria 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, London Masterclasses "Stars of the Future", Dartington International Festival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music and a masterclass with Mstislav Rostropovich. Competition accolades include the 2002 New Zealand Young Musician of the Year, 2002 Royal Over-Seas League Travelling Scholarship, RNCM Audience Prize and Gold Medal (the highest award bestowed by the college), Leonard Rose Prize and the Barbirolli Cello Prize, in addition to generous financial support during her studentship from the Countess of Munster Trust, Patricia Pratt Scholarship, Philharmonia/Martin Musical Scholarship Fund and the Craxton Memorial Trust.

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. Victoria 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. 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.