Natalie Clein

Natalie Clein is a British cellist known for her solo, chamber, and orchestral performances across Europe, North America, and Asia. She has appeared with major ensembles and at prominent festivals, and maintains roles in pedagogy and outreach. Her repertoire ranges from Baroque to contemporary works, and she has been recognized with awards and residencies.

Early life and education

Clein was born in Bromley and grew up in a musical family in London. She studied at the Royal College of Music and later at the Royal Academy of Music under teachers associated with the Royal Northern College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Trinity College of Music, and conservatoires such as the Juilliard School, Conservatoire de Paris, and Hochschule für Musik und Theater München through masterclasses and exchanges. Early competitions and festivals including the BBC Proms, Verbier Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, BBC Young Musician of the Year, and the Naumburg Competition featured in her formative years. She worked with prominent pedagogues and performers linked to institutions like the Royal Academy of Music and ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orchestre de Paris.

Career

Clein's career spans solo recitals, concerto appearances with orchestras, and chamber collaborations. She has performed concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, and international ensembles including the Orchestre National de France, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Staatskapelle Dresden. Festival appearances include the BBC Proms, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Verbier Festival, Salzburg Festival, and Edinburgh International Festival. Collaborators have included soloists and conductors associated with the Zapolski Quartet, Emerson Quartet, Emanuel Ax, Mitsuko Uchida, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Antonio Pappano, and Andris Nelsons. She has worked in chamber formations linked to ensembles like the Guarneri Quartet, Alban Berg Quartet, Julliard String Quartet, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and with pianists connected to the Beaux Arts Trio and Sviatoslav Richter tradition.

Repertoire and recordings

Her repertoire covers works by composers spanning eras: Baroque figures such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Arcangelo Corelli; Classical composers including Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Franz Joseph Haydn; Romantic repertoire by Antonín Dvořák, Edward Elgar, Camille Saint-Saëns, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Dmitri Shostakovich; and contemporary composers like Benjamin Britten, Oliver Knussen, Thomas Adès, Judith Weir, and Arvo Pärt. Her discography includes recordings for labels and projects associated with Decca Records, Hyperion Records, EMI Classics, Chandos Records, and specialist labels tied to historically informed performance such as Harmonia Mundi and Linn Records. Notable releases have paired her with pianists and chamber partners connected to the Beaux Arts Trio lineage, and her interpretations have been discussed alongside recordings by cellists from schools linked to Jacqueline du Pré, Pablo Casals, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Awards and honours

Clein's recognition includes prizes and residencies from institutions and competitions such as the Royal Philharmonic Society awards, accolades associated with the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, and prizes connected to foundations like the Leverhulme Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Hattori Foundation, and Rutherford Foundation. She has held artist-in-residence positions and honorary posts with organizations and venues tied to the Royal Opera House, Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, and regional institutions such as the Northern Sinfonia and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Teaching and outreach

Active in education, Clein has taught at conservatoires and summer schools associated with the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music, Hochschule für Musik institutions, and international academies like the Verbier Festival Academy and Tanglewood Music Center. Her outreach work connects with charities and initiatives linked to BBC Music education projects, youth orchestras such as the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, community programs connected to the Arts Council England, and international music education networks including the European Union Youth Orchestra and Sistema-inspired schemes. She has given masterclasses at venues and festivals associated with the Salzburg Festival, Aix-en-Provence Festival, and major conservatoires worldwide.

Category:British cellists Category:Living people Category:1977 births