Cellist, Steven John Isserlis, was born into a musical family in London on Dec 19, 1958.  His father was an enthusiastic musician, his mother was a piano teacher, one sister plays the viola and another, the violin. Playing music as a family was an integral part of his growing up. His grandfather, a Russian Jew, was one of only 12 musicians permitted to leave the country to promote Russian culture in the 1920s.  Unsurprisingly, he never went back.

In 1976, Mr. Isserlis came to the US from England to study with Richard Kapuscinski at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, completing his studies there in 1978. In 1988, he commissioned the British composer, Sir John Taverner, to write a piece for cello and orchestra.  The composition, titled “The Protecting Veil” was a huge critical and popular success and launched Isserlis’ reputation as a world class artist.

Steven Isserlis is, without question, one of the leading cellists of his generation. His artistry is in great demand and so he performs with all the major orchestras and chamber groups all over the world.  He is also a writer, educator, and broadcaster. He has been nominated for 2 Grammys and received more awards than can be listed here. He is only one of 2 cellists to be featured in Gramophone’s Hall of Fame. His cello is the Stradivari 1726 Marquis de Corberon on loan from the Royal Academy of Music. Interestingly, he prefers using gut strings which produce a particularly warm sound, a rare choice for instrumentalists these days.