Nick Byrne | Cello
Nick was born in Liverpool into a large musical family. He took up the cello aged eight and began lessons with Gethyn Jones of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Winner of the Andrew Brown Performance Prize and the Sir Thomas Beecham Scholarship, Nick studied at the Royal Academy of Music with David Strange, Colin Carr and Zara Nelsova. He continued studying in Canada with Paul Marleyn, winning the University of Manitoba Concerto Competition and making numerous recordings of World premieres for CBC National Radio with the contemporary music group Groundswell New Music.
He has appeared as concerto soloist across the UK, Europe and North America and often performs as orchestral musician with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He also performs and records with many contemporary pop artists, and has appeared on BBC Radios 1, 2, 3, 6 and at Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage.
Nick has been the cellist in the Liverpool String Quartet since 2010 and enjoys the diverse repertoire and collaborations that the ensemble engages in. As well as great musicianship, the camaraderie between players and rapport with audiences are probably the things that he enjoys most about being a member of the quartet.