BIOGRAPHY

​​George Wilkes is a versatile, imaginative cellist whose performances have taken him across the UK, Europe, and the United States. Equally at home in concert halls, intimate chamber music venues, and contemporary music settings, he brings a sense of curiosity and commitment to every project he undertakes.

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His artistry has earned him invitations to renowned festivals including the Nume Festival in Italy, the Schiermonnikoog and Apeldoorn Festivals in the Netherlands, the Santander Festival in Spain, and the Hellensmusic Festival in the UK. He has appeared with the Chipping Campden Festival Orchestra and spent two years based in Belgium, performing widely in major venues such as BOZAR, MIM, the Parlamentarium, and the Korean Cultural Centre. As a chamber musician, George has collaborated with distinguished artists including Bruno Delepelaire (principal cellist, Berliner Philharmoniker), Misha Amory (Brentano Quartet), Mihaela Martin (Kronberg Academy), and Maya Iwabuchi (leader, Royal Scottish National Orchestra), among many others.

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George completed his bachelor’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music under the guidance of Josephine Knight. During his studies, he won the May Mukle/Douglas Cameron Prize, received the Frank Britton Award, and was nominated by the Academy for the NPS Grant Award toward the purchase of a new instrument. He was supported by the Albert Cooper Memorial Trust and is currently funded by Help Musicians UK. He continued his training in Brussels with renowned pedagogue Jeroen Reuling and is now pursuing a master’s degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Louise Hopkins. He has received masterclass guidance from internationally celebrated cellists including Steven Isserlis, Gary Hoffman, and Alban Gerhardt

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Alongside his classical work, George has developed a strong passion for contemporary music and composer collaboration. At the Royal Academy of Music, he premiered numerous new works and received guidance from members of leading contemporary music ensembles such as Manchester Collective and Riot Ensemble. Since graduating, he has taken on several contemporary music projects, including premiering a work by Ryan Wigglesworth with the Knussen Chamber Orchestra at Snape Maltings, collaborating with Helmut Lachenmann for a performance of his music at the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, appearing in a full performance of Pierrot Lunaire as part of a Schoenberg series in Brussels, and premiering his own composition Black Is the Colour at the Shapavalov Festival in Ghent.

George plays on a Hilaire Darche cello made in Belgium in 1927 and a bow by French maker Doriane Bodart, crafted almost 100 years later.