Alice Neary

Alice enjoys a distinguished performing career, as both chamber musician and soloist. She has played concertos with many leading orchestras including Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic, Israel Symphony and Baltimore Symphony.

In addition to being a member of the Gould Piano Trio, Alice regularly plays with the Nash Ensemble and has appeared as guest cellist with Ensemble 360 and Endellion, Elias, Heath, Sorrel, and Bingham quartets. She collaborates with pianists Benjamin Frith, Gretel Dowdeswell and Daniel Tong. Regular visits to International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove, collaborating with such artists as Anthony Marwood, Lesley Hatfield and Daniel Phillips, provide on-going inspiration.

As winner of 1998 Pierre Fournier Award, Alice made her very successful début at the Wigmore Hall, launching her career in the UK and abroad. Familiar to listeners of BBC Radio 3, she has performed at major festivals including Bath International, Santa Fe (USA) and Manchester International Cello Festival. Other competition successes include 2001 Leonard Rose (USA) and 1997Adam (NZ) International Cello Competitions, the Silver Medal in 1994 Shell/LSO competition and 1996 Royal Over-Seas League String prize.

Recording is also an important part of her career, both with the trio and as soloist. She draws particular satisfaction from the rediscovery of neglected works, including Tovey’s cello concerto and sonatas and John Ireland sonata. In the more mainstream, future plans include a CD of Mendelssohn Cello Sonatas.

Alice studied with Ralph Kirshbaum at Royal Northern College of Music and, as a Fulbright scholar, with Timothy Eddy at Stonybrook, USA. Now much in demand as a teacher, Alice has been tutor in cello at Royal Northern College of Music and Royal College of Music, and is at present mainly based at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in her home city of Cardiff.

Alice comes from a musical family; her father is the organist and choir director, Martin Neary, and she is married to violinist David Adams. They have three lively children.

Alice plays an Alessandro Gagliano cello of 1710