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Clare O’Connell – cellist

A passionate performer, arranger, writer and curator, Clare O’Connell is a cellist specialising in contemporary chamber music. She is a member of visionary ensemble Lontano, the 12-piece cross genre ensemble Propellor, has a duo partnership with internationally acclaimed harpist Eleanor Turner and collaborates with many other chamber music & chamber opera projects. During the past year she wrote, arranged, recorded and produced her debut solo album The Isolated Cellist released by Stone Records in April 2021; a deeply personal collection of ancient & modern music for solo and layered cello gathered to perform to her local community during the summer 2000 lockdown. She founded and curates Behind The Mirror – a series of intimate chamber music concerts in Berkhamsted in which she presents music in an imaginative, unexpected way; commissioning new music, making her own arrangements for unusual groups of instruments & using storytelling to add another dimension to the listening experience.

What has creating art meant to you over the last year?

Creating art has meant everything to me over the past year; it has kept me sane, occupied and inspired and has shown me who I really am.
My art work has always served the music I make – either as an image to express a theme or mood behind a concert I have curated or to illustrate a piece of music I have arranged and recorded.
Working on water colours for my collaboration with harpist Eleanor Turner felt like a gloriously rich meditative experience and made me realise that this lockdown was a perfect opportunity to really think deeply and create.