Meet our Soloist, Andrew Reynish

We wanted to learn a little about our soloist and asked him the following 5 questions.

1) How old were you when you started learning the cello? “I think I dabbled from the age of four and started receiving regular lessons at seven.”

2) Why did you learn the cello? “Chamber Music was a fixture at larger family gatherings growing up and as a child, I was completely captivated by the sounds coming from the cello section. My great aunt Nicola Anderson is a cellist and continues to be of great inspiration to me to this day.”

3) Do you play any other instruments? “I played the piano into my early twenties and I’d love to rekindle it. Otherwise, I’d quite like to give the bagpipes a go, time and neighbours permitting.’’

4) Why did you choose to play the Schumann Cello Concerto with us? “I think that Schumann’s Cello Concerto is truly one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written and this will be my first time performing it with an orchestra, so I am deeply grateful to the Blackpool Symphony for the opportunity.’’

5) What advice would you give to children and young people who are learning cello? “So much wonderful music has been either written for the cello, written to include the cello or with it being such a versatile instrument, could be played on a cello. Enjoy making music above all!”