WILLIAM CONWAY: Cello

William Conway was born and brought up in Glasgow.  He is currently co-principal cellist with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, of which he is a founder member, and has been the principal cellist of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for ten years.  He is Artistic Director of the Scottish-based chamber group The Hebrides Ensemble.

He has taken part in many contemporary dance and music collaborations, most notably at the Edinburgh Festival with Rudolf Nureyev, playing solo Bach.  He gave the first performance of a cello concerto by Haflidi Halgrimsson and another by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.  This piece was written especially for him and he has recorded it for Unicorn-Kanchana Records.  He has also recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and Meridian Records as well as a series of cello and piano repertoire for Linn Records.

William Conway was a prize-winner in the final of the 1994 Leeds Conductors' Competition.  He has been Principal Conductor of Camerata Scotland since 1992 and their recording of Mozart and Beethoven Symphonies is on release.  He has also conducted the Orchestra Citta di Ferrara, the Goldberg Chamber Orchestra, English Northern Philharmonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.  He will conduct the world premiere of a new opera this summer.