I’m so sorry to all who had hoped to come along to these concerts that I was looking forward to enormously - I have to cancel them because of ongoing problems with my left shoulder. It’s been continuing for a few months, and I’ve decided, following medical advice, that I just need to clear the diary for a while to recover completely. It’s not been an easy decision to make (John Metcalfe wrote some incredibly beautiful new music, which I can’t wait to play when I’m ready), but I know it’s the only way forward with this particular injury. I hope to be able to find time in 09 to put this tour back in the diary.

(Sarah Allen, my wonderful tour manager will organise that any tickets bought through this site or through Sarah Allen Promotions will be refunded either by paypal or cheque. All other box offices are also offering full refunds - please contact the vendor you purchased from to arrange.)

In April I’m going on tour round cathedrals and churches around England and Wales playing Bach on gut strings for the first time. I’m very curious to see what this will be like, also with a baroque bow - I’ve been wanting to do this for years, but have never taken the step as my programmes always mix Bach with more modern music so gut strings would not have worked. On this tour I also have a mixed programme (this time with several world premieres from a fantastically talented composer, John Metcalfe), but all of these I will play on a brand new electric cello, using my computer and midi pedal control board. John’s music is very subtle, clear and emotionally strong, and will go perfectly with Bach in the fabulous cathedral acoustics.

For the first tim you can book tickets direct through this website, on the left, and see full tour details.

In brief, the tour dates are:

April 18th - Cambridge
April 23rd - Carlisle
April 24th - Hereford
April 25th - St Asaph (N Wales)
April 26th - Sheffield
April 30th - Southwell
May 1 - London
May 3 - Oxford

Just about to do a performance with BBC Philharmonic musicians and the quite brilliant brass players from Salford University. We’ve written a piece together that is inventive, powerful and origanal. Based around ideas from John Tavener’s Protecting Veil, a piece lasting over 30′ has emerged, much of it invented by the student participants, and we also have dancers who have created their own original choreography. I’ve been amazed by the brass players - not only their technical skills and sheer beauty of sound, but they’re such a great bunch too! It’s been a very good week. The show is going to be recorded by BBC Radio 3 for later broadcast on Discovering Music. Look out for it.

It’s always wonderful doing these projects; remembering just how much talent there is in the world, and what an inspiration it is to work with young people, engaging with their imaginations and energy.

I’ve just arrived in Birmingham, Alabama and had my first rehearsals of The Protecting Veil with the Alabama Symphony, who are absolutely first class. Chief Conductor Justin Brown is doing an amazing job, and there’s a city-wide buzz about the orchestra, who are evidently on a steep upward artistic curve. The Alys Stephens Hall is very good to play in, so I’m really looking forward to the first concert tomorrow night, which starts with an arrangement that Justin and I made for cello and strings of Albinoni’s Adagio.

I guess this is what Birmingham UK felt like 30 years ago when a young Simon Rattle took on the job there and went on to do such extraordinary things. If they get the funding they need, I think something similar will happen here. Watch that Deep Southern space!

It’s been very strange to take nearly 5 months off touring! I’ve been catching up on a million things that I’ve been putting off for years and years, and preparing repertoire for a busy 2008 that includes world premieres by Peter Wiegold (cello concerto with improvised cello part with Northern Sinfonia), Amjad Ali Khan (concerto for sarod, cello and orchestra with Scottish Chamber Orchestra), Fraser Trainer, Thomas Larcher and John Metcalfe, as well as lots of Bach and Vivaldi. I will also be giving my first performances on my new electric cello in a UK tour of cathedrals in April full details on the concert page), and recording Tavener’s Protecting Veil for BBC Radio 3 with the BBC Philharmonic and Charles Hazlewood.

The year starts next week when I travel to America to play with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra: this little known orchestra was singled out by the New Yorker alongside Berlin, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics as one of the musical highlights of 2007. See this link for details.