Jacob Shaw

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Professor of Cello

Email: [email protected]

Following a career spanning almost 15 years over 5 continents as an international award winning cellist, British born Jacob Shaw now occupies an important role on the cultural scene as an educator, curator and consultant in projects worldwide.

Nominated for “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Stevns business council and municipality, he regularly gives lectures and talks internationally on entrepreneurship in classical music, project management and business development inside the music world. In 2022 he was nominated as south coast Denmarks “firesoul” (SydkystDanmarks Ildsjæl) and was the winner of one of the most prestigious prizes in Denmark for services to music – the national Danish radio P2 firesoul personality award (DRP2 Ildsjael 2022). Jacob Shaw was placed on the 2022 Talent-100 list of the top business people in Denmark by the national Berlingske newspaper financial supplement for his services as a cultural entrepreneur.

In 2016 Jacob created a foundation to help young musicians – the Scandinavian Cello School (SCS) – which has its base on an old farm from 1800 near to the UNESCO heritage site of Stevns Klint in Denmark. The farm welcomes 150 guests each year, using unconventional methods of education, including outreach concerts and striving to be self-sufficient. Scandinavian Cello School went viral in 2021 and was seen 2.1 billion times in international media (source: Hypefactors) appearing on the cover of New York Times and followed by most of the world’s main newspapers, television and radio stations picking up on the story.

In recent years Jacob has brought his skill sets together and created a boutique consultancy agency, SCS consultancy, working regularly for industry leaders such as Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Warner Classics and Universal Music – in addition for special projects in the business world for clients including Ernst & Young and McKinsey & Company. In April 2022 Jacob Shaw took on the role of Director of Culture for a year at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stevns Klint. Stevns Klint Visitor Center is a cultural landmark for science-based communication about the Depth of Time, the Development of Life, Cliff & Nature. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is driven by the vision that the common culture and natural heritage is accessible for all: He oversaw the upstart of an entire cultural, artistic and event planning at the world class center that opened with the Queen of Denmark in October 2022.

From 2018-2020 Jacob Shaw was Professor of Cello in Barcelona, Spain at the Academia Marshall (Marshall-Granados Academy of Music, established in 1901), where he occupied the “Cassado Chair”. He left this role to focus on building the cello class at Scandinavian Cello School – it encompasses exceptional young talents aged 16-25 from around the world who regularly win major international competitions, top symphony orchestra positions and have their debut on major CD labels. From 2009-2022 he was the artistic director of “Festival International de Musique de Chambre en Charente” that started with 3 concerts and grew to run over 5 weeks as the largest classical chamber music festival in south-west France. He founded “Radical Classic” as an alternative movement to build a diverse and new generation of classical music lovers. Through “Radical Classic”, numerous different projects have been initiated combining classical music with other mediums, for example collaborating with Michelin starred chefs, head dancer from New York City Ballet, performing in alternative venues from prisons to electric cello at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York…

As a classical cellist following his studies in UK (Yehudi Menuhin School), Paris (Ecole Normale de Musique), Germany (Augsburg-Nürnberg Hochschule für Musik) & private lessons in Bloomington with Janos Starker – he performed on invitation of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra twice at their “Ball of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra” in the Musikverein, and appeared as a soloist in halls such as Carnegie Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, Royal Albert Hall, Seoul Arts Center – whilst his Debut CD was acclaimed by the press internationally.

He has been based in Denmark for 13 years and is an active member of both his local village and harbour boards. Following his recovery from stage 4 cancer (Burkitt’s Lymphoma) in 2022, Jacob is a fierce campaigner and supporter of cancer charities and nurses’ rights. He is a keen amateur chef and spends his free time striving to become self-sufficient in the Danish countryside with his partner and their two young daughters!

Jacob Shaw is Professor of Cello at the Royal Northern College of Music and Visiting International Chair of Cello at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Personal Website

Current and Future Research

Scandinavian Cello School / The Musical Farm: 2016 – present.

Elite training for young musicians – with focus on mental health, biodiversity/sustainability in performing arts, and outreach projects.

Supported financially by the Danish Arts Council, Augustinus Foundation, W. Demant Foundation, Greenland Resources.

On the coastline 60km south of Copenhagen, an international school for young elite classical music talents has made their home. Becoming one of the most viral stories to hit the classical music world in recent years, media coverage such as The New York Times has brought the story of Scandinavian Cello School to over 2.1 billion worldwide. An explosion in interest is due to the unique ethos at the school – achieve a healthy work-life balance, side by side with world class music training. Outreach concerts, outdoor experiences and collective living are all part of their philosophy to create more balanced and ultimately better musicians.

Scandinavian Cello School (SCS) is located next to Lund, a historic fishing village which features one of Denmark’s oldest harbours. Hosting stunning views from the SCS campus just a stones throw from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stevns Klint, director and international award-winning cellist Jacob Shaw works closely alongside a board of industry leaders in classical music to help promote, support and educate young musical talents. Musicians they support have won the biggest international competitions in classical music and played around the world.

The school has succeeded in bringing classical music to new audiences and in untraditional surroundings. It challenges and strengthens both international and Danish talents that are brought together. A solid foundation for their future is planted whilst on Danish soil through world class teaching, essential networking and a healthy life balance. SCS strengthens the quality of an already strong music scene in Denmark, whilst contributing to the spread of a quintessentially Danish approach to working: High quality training and focus going hand in hand with socializing, good home-grown food and strong respect for individual personalities.

Research Areas

  • Biodiversity and Sustainability in Performing Arts (Jacob Shaw, Scandinavian Cello School) 2022-25
  • Mental Health within Elite Classical Music Training (Jacob Shaw, Scandinavian Cello School, awarded Danish National Radio “Firesoul Award”), 2016-2024
  • MERITAcubed – Partner (Jacob Shaw, Scandinavian Cello School). Winner of the Creative Europe European Call 2024 with co-funding from the European Union, for a total of €2.800.000, 2025-2029

Research Funding

Danish Arts Council, Augustinus Foundation, Harby Foundation, EU Creative Europe, EU LAG Foundation, EU LDP Foundation

Selected Outputs

Written Outputs

  • The Strad: ‘The Road to Vienna’, Issue Number 134  (2024): pages 48-57 (digital issue link)
  • New York Times: “When the cellos play, the cows come home” (28 April, 2021): Front page, arts section lead story pages 1-7 (digital issue link)

Practice Research (recordings)

  • DEBUT, Jacob Shaw with José Gallardo (piano), MCI Chinese Traditional Ensemble / 2 Box Set CD (2015 – Roven Records) link
  • From the Old World to the New (2016 – Divine Art) link
  • The Road to Vienna, Jacob Shaw with SCS Cello Ensemble  (2024 – SCS Collection / Evidence Classics) link
  • Aria, NOVO Quartet produced by Jacob Shaw (2024 – SCS Collection / Evidence Classics) link

Practice Research (film)

  • The Musical Farm, series featuring Jacob Shaw, Scandinavian Cello School (SCS Productions) link
  • SCS Young Artists (SCS Productions) link

Public Presentations

  • Cello Yoga, Technique Video link

Web Resources

  • Foundation: Scandinavian Cello School link

Professional Activity

Masterclasses given:

Harlem Creates (Students of Manhattan & Juilliard School) New York, USA
Northwestern University, Chicago, USA
Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, IRE
Augsburg University Leopold Mozart Zentrum, DE
University of Toronto, CAN
Chopin University Warsaw, PL
Harbin Institute of Technology Music Department, CN
Harbin Conservatory, CN
Daqing University Music Department, CN
Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, CN
Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, CN
Shanghai Conservatory, CN
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, SI
Royal Scottish Conservatoire (Junior Department), UK
Lviv Conservatory of Music, UA
The Sage Gateshead Young Musicians Program (Weekend School), UK
Royal Danish Academy of Music (Open Day Program), Copenhagen, DK
Romanian Young Musicians Academy, RO
Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, CH
Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, FR
Central Conservatory of Music Beijing CCOM, CN
Krakow Academy of Music, PL
Chengdu Music University CCAA, CH
USIC University Institute of Music Kuala Lumpur, MY
Aarhus MGK, DK
Copenhagen MGK, DK
Festival del Lago in Ajijic, MX
Augustow Cello Festival, PL
LAB Summer Classes, IT
Korean National Special Talents Camp, KR
Lancut International Summer Masterclasses, PL
Mendelssohn Summer Festival, UK
LGT Young Soloists Ensemble, DE
Stauffer Academy, IT
HEM Geneva, CH
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, UK

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