Acclaimed for his profound musicianship and technical mastery, Steven Isserlis enjoys a uniquely varied career. He appears with leading orchestras and conductors, gives recitals in major musical centres, and has curated concert series for many prestigious venues. Unusually, he also directs chamber orchestras from the cello.

He has a strong interest in historical performance, working with period-instrument orchestras and giving recitals with harpsichord and fortepiano. He is also an exponent of contemporary music and has premiered many new works.

Steven’s discography includes J S Bach’s complete solo cello suites; Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano; concertos by C.P.E Bach, Haydn, Elgar and Walton; and the Brahms double concerto with Joshua Bell.

Since 1997, Steven has been Artistic Director of the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove, Cornwall. He enjoys playing for children, and has created three musical stories with the composer Anne Dudley. His two books for children have been translated into many languages. He has also devised two evenings of words and music - one describing the last years of Robert Schumann, the other Marcel Proust and his salons - and has presented many radio programmes, including documentaries about two of his heroes: Robert Schumann and Harpo Marx.

Steven’s honours include a CBE in recognition of his services to music, the Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau, the Piatigorsky Prize and Maestro Foundation Genius Grant in the U.S, the Glashütte Award in Germany, the Gold Medal awarded by the Armenian Ministry of Culture, and the Wigmore Medal.

Steven plays the ‘Marquis de Corberon’ Stradivarius of 1726, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.