British cellist Tom Pickles leads a varied musical life as a performer, composer and educator.  He was the first applicant and first auditionee (!) of Sheffield Music Academy when it was founded in 2006.

 

He recently completed his Masters studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, in the class of Michel Strauss. Prior to this he studied at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where he was the recipient of prizes including the Delius Society Prize and the Leamington Music Prize and was part of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group’s inaugural NEXT ensemble academy. He read music at Goldsmiths, University of London and was a pupil at St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh. 

 

His performances as a recitalist have been described as “scintillating … with real depth” (Leamington Courier). Tom has recently played with orchestras including the Noord Nederlands Orkest and the Orchestra of Opera North.  As a composer, his work reflects on our relationship with the natural world, and often explores the more spectral timbral possibilities of the cello. Aside from his teaching at the Academy, he also teaches for Sheffield Music Hub, and has been involved in leading masterclasses and educational workshops throughout the UK and in France. He also enjoys busking and making arrangements of popular songs.