Victoria Simonsen
Professor of Cello
MMus(perf.), PGDipRNCM, PPRNCM
Email: [email protected]
Victoria Simonsen is a Tutor in Cello at the RNCM.
An alumni of the RNCM, Victoria studied cello with Ralph Kirshbaum and Karine Georgian and composition with Anthony Gilbert, culminating with winning the Gold Medal. She later continued her studies as a string quartet fellow at the Guildhall School of Music and with Julius Berger at the Leopold-Mozart-Zentrum der Universität Augsburg in Germany. Victoria gained further inspiration through masterclasses with cellists such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Anner Bylsma, Bernard Greenhouse, Gary Hoffman, Luis Claret, Philippe Muller, Johannes Goritzki, Colin Carr, Raphael Wallfisch and Jens Peter Maintz.
Whilst a student her awards included winning the Royal Over-Seas League Strings Competition, NZ Young Musician of the Year, Johann-Andreas-Stein-Wettbewerb, Leonard Rose Prize, Barbirolli Cello Prize, the prestigious Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, an ESU Scholarship, as well as being selected as a Countess of Munster Recital Soloist and for a Purcell Room Solo Debut (Park Lane Group).
Victoria now enjoys a varied musical life which includes solo, chamber music and orchestral work as well as recording film and television soundtracks.
A passionate chamber musician, Victoria is a member of the Rautio Piano Trio and previously enjoyed notable success in the early Barbirolli Quartet. Since 2006 she has been regularly invited to the IMS Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music. Her chamber music performances have been broadcast on radio in UK, Germany and New Zealand and concerts have included Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room London.
Victoria is former Principal Cellist with Opera North and has more recently given televised performances at the BBC Proms as Guest Principal of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. She has also guest led English National Opera, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and Irish Chamber Orchestra. From 2008 until 2017 she was a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra and toured throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America with some of the world’s finest conductors and soloists. She also gave frequent workshops and coaching as part of the Philharmonia’s education department.
