Caroline Dearnley

Caroline Dearnley, cello

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Caroline Dearnley studied at the Royal College of Music with Joan Dickson and
subsequently with William Pleeth, winning every cello prize. A full and varied career quickly
followed. While Caroline’s career encompasses many aspects of music-making, she is best
known as a chamber musician and soloist, performing and recording chamber music with
many leading ensembles.

She has been principal cello with Britten Sinfonia since1992 and has seen it grow into the
vibrant and hugely successful ensemble it is today. She gave the British premier of Poul
Ruders’ Cello Concerto with the orchestra in 2001 and is a member of the Britten Sinfonia
Soloists with groundbreaking residencies in Krakow, Cambridge, Norwich, Birmingham and
at the Wigmore Hall. She is also in demand as guest principal cello with many orchestras
including the London Sinfonietta and English Chamber Orchestra.

She was a founder member of the Joachim Trio, which recorded extensively for Naxos, ASV
and Hyperion and was well known to BBC Radio listeners. Their first two CDs of French
music both won the “Editor’s Choice” accolade from Gramophone magazine and CDs of the
complete Dvorak, Saint-Saens trios followed.

As a chamber musician she has taken part in all the country’s major festivals, including the
International “Artists in Residence” series at the Bath Festival, the festivals at Aldeburgh and
Edinburgh, and Robert Cohen’s summer festivals at Charleston Manor.

Caroline plays a Milanese cello, dated 1740. She lives in London with her musician husband
and their two daughters.

In conversation with Caroline Dearnley

What do you enjoy about playing with Britten Sinfonia?
Britten Sinfonia feels like my musical ‘home’. I have been with the band from its earliest days and feel lucky to make music with such lovely friends and wonderful musicians. We have the most exciting and diverse repertoire thrown at us so there’s no chance of feeling too ‘safe’. I think we all love being faced with fresh challenges.

One project, Art of Fugue (with Joanna MacGregor, Andy Sheppard and the amazing Shri Sriram on tabla, bass and flute), was a particular challenge as we were asked to improvise – the mere thought brings most string players out in a stress-related rash! The transformation of the hilarity and embarrassment of the first rehearsals through the series of nine concerts was incredible. We were in awe of Shri and Andy for their magical solo improvisations – musical journeys through rhythmic and harmonic sound worlds and back again – while they were in awe of us for the relatively straightforward task of reading the music in front of us!

When did you start playing the cello?
I started playing the cello aged four – although I don’t believe I had any say in the matter. I was taught at first by a violin teacher and helped by my Mum (a piano teacher), and my early memories are of confrontation, frustration and sore fingers. It got better though, and I finally got my first serious cello teacher, Antonia Butler, when I started at the Royal College of Music junior department, aged nine. Antonia was a wonderful teacher, guide and support for the next eight years (reducing me to tears on a regular basis) and inspiring me with her enthusiasm and fiery personality.

Do you make a living playing music?
Chamber music is a great love of mine. My piano trio, the Joachim Trio, has been together for 20 years! I enjoy the intimacy of small ensembles with different combinations of instruments. I find it fascinating performing works that I know well with different musicians. The resulting performance will be totally unique, depending on the chemistry and interaction between the players, highlighting new aspects of the same piece. The best combinations, I find, are ones where you don’t have to talk too much!

What has been the most memorable experience in your career so far?
One of the most enjoyable musical experiences was a two week tour of Japan (fresh out of music college) with the RPO Pops Orchestra and Henry Mancini (film music composer, legend and the most charismatic ’70 something’ I’ve ever met, playing film favourites such as the themes from Peter Gunn, Moon River, Pink Panther, Cinema Paradiso etc. Heavenly tunes with a master of the genre.

…and the funniest?
There are, of course, many hilarious moments when things go wrong in concerts, especially as most audiences view ‘classical’ concerts as fairly serious events. Contemporary music concerts in small groups with select audiences tend to provide the setting for much mirth. One such occasion was a Purcell Room concert when the players had second instruments to play. Mine was a pebble which, on first impact, broke in half and clattered to the stage.
A recent Britten Sinfonia concert included a piece by Piers Hellawell which ended with the four cellists (specially selected) being required to shout and grunt Viking war cries while our colleagues looked on sympathetically. That went down well at the Chelsea Festival!

Do you have time for anything else?
It’s a real treat having a proper round-the-table roast dinner with my family. Being married to another busy freelance musician we don’t get regular Sundays off together, so whenever possible we make a big fuss of having a ‘celebration supper’ (as my girls, 8 and 5, call it). I enjoy playing tennis although I will only play in good weather and when my cello-playing won’t suffer too badly from having a stiff arm!

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