Vashti Hunter

In 2012, Vashti Hunter became the first British cellist ever to be awarded a prize at the International Cello Competition 'Prague Spring' in its 65 year history. She won her Laureate title playing the Dvorak cello concerto with the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra in Dvorak Hall, Rudolfnium, Prague. Vashti has performed in prestigious halls throughout Europe, including the Wigmore Hall in London, Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, National House of Vinohrady in Prague, Salle Moliere in Lyon and the Philharmonie in Berlin. She has played with orchestras such as the Pilsen Philharmonic, Filharmonica Brasov, Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra, the Goettingen Symphony Orchestra, the Suedwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, CHAARTS and the Southbank Sinfonia and has worked with conductors such as Gabor Takacs-Nagy and Antonello Manacorda.

Much in demand as both soloist and chamber musician, Vashti has been invited to important festivals such as PODIUM, Lockenhaus, Ernen, DAVOS, Heidelberger Fruehling, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music UK, Boswiler Sommer and the Shanghai Chamber Music Festival. She has collaborated with eminent artists including Steven Isserlis, Martha Argerich, Ivry Gitlis, Pekka Kuusisto, Ilya Gringolts, Erich Hoerbarth, Nicolas Altstaed and Vilde Frang. In 2010 Vashti co-founded Trio Gaspard together with Greek/Albanian violinist Jonian Ilias Kadesha and German pianist Nicholas Rimmer. The piano trio have won first prizes in the 'Haydn' and 'Joachim' international competitions and perform regularly in some of the world's most important halls.

An experienced orchestral player, she has been invited as guest principal cellist of the Olso Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in the UK and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. She is principal cellist of the Kammerakadamie Potsdam and is invited regularly to play with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Vashti completed a 'Konzertexamen' degree with Leonid Gorokhov in Hannover where she was supported by generous awards from the Leverhulme Trust and Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben. She studied chamber music with Hatto Beyerle, attended the European Chamber Music Academy and regularly took part in Prussia Cove masterclasses with Steven Isserlis. From October 2017 she began teaching chamber music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and cello at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.