Free online workshop open to composers of all levels.
Robin Michael will present a demonstration of various different cello techniques and give tips on writing to help you realise your own compositions for cello. He will include excerpts of specific cello works that he has collaborated with the composer from Helmut Lachenmann to Steve Reich. There will then be the chance to ask questions and hopefully solve any problems!
6-7pm including approx. 40 min talk with a Q&A session at the end. Please note that although we try to wrap-up opensound sessions by 7pm, they often run over by 5-10 mins.
Biography
Robin Michael studied at the Royal Academy of Music with David Strange and Colin Carr and later with Ferenc Rados. Following his South Bank Centre solo debut as part of the Park Lane Group Series in 2003 he has enjoyed a diverse and varied career as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral principal and teacher.
He is solo cellist with Orchestre Les Siècles, principal cellist in John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Revoluonnaire et Romantique, and solo cellist with Les Musiciens du Prince (Monaco). In addition to these positions he is regular guest principal cellist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, RTE Concert Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, English National Opera and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Robin was the cellist in the Fidelio trio for over ten years with whom he toured Europe, North America, Asia and South Africa. He has also appeared in collaboration with the Dante and Eroica quartets. Highlights in his discography include the premier recording of Joe Cutler’s cello concerto with the BBC CO (NMC), Brahms/Schumann sonatas with Daniel
Tong (Resonus), complete works by Beethoven for cello and piano (Resonus), complete works by Fauré for cello and piano (Resonus) first recording of the original version of Mendelssohn’s Octet on period instruments (Resonus), Stravinsky chamber works with Isabelle Faust (Harmonia Mundi), Vivaldi cello concertos with Barocksolisten Müchen (Hanssler Classics) and Fidelio trio recordings on Naxos, NMC, Métier and Delphian records.
Recent concert highlights include complete Bach and Britten suite cycles in France and London, the South Korean premier of Jonathan Harvey’s Advaya for cello and electronics, UK premier of Steve Reich Cello Counterpoint, Elgar concerto in Romania, both Haydn concertos at the Spier festival in South Africa as well as festival appearances in Buenos Aires, Library of Congress, Washington, and European fesvals including Cheltenham, Aldeburgh and St Magnus.
Robin has a close artistic partnership with chamber orchestra Musica Vitae in Sweden who he appears regularly as soloist and director and with whom he recently gave the world premiere of Alasdair Nicolson’s cello concerto.
Robin is artistic director of the Kinnordy Chamber Music festival in Scotland, now in its tenth year and was recently elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM). He was recently appointed artistic director of the concert series at the Museé Marmotten Monet in Paris.
© 2026 by Robin Michael
Zoom's closed captions feature will be enabled if you require any further information or if you need to contact us about access requirements please email info@sound-scotland.co.uk
