Anna Cashell

Welcome to the website of Irish violinist Anna Cashell.

"Anna plays with a sophisticated subtlety that‘s amazingly refined in the way that she can suggest so much with the lightest of touches"
Michael Dervan The Irish Times

Biography

Anna began her musical studies in Ireland before training at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music in London. Whilst at the College she studied with Itzhak Rashkovsky and was awarded many prizes including the college’s prestigious Mills Williams Junior Fellowship and the Tagore Gold Medal which was presented to her by Prince Charles. She also won the Raymond Fox Bursary from the UKs ‘Making Music Society’ and the Serena Neville prize from the Concordia Foundation.

She has given concerts in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, the Forbidden City concert Hall in Beijing and at the Banff Institute of Music in Canada. With her sister Sophie she performs in the Cashell Duo and they are currently represented by Music Network Ireland. Anna has performed as a soloist with many orchestras in Ireland and the UK, such as The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and Camerata Ireland conducted by Barry Douglas.

Chamber music is one of Anna’s passions; she performs regularly with her brother and sister in the Cashell trio. She is also a founding member of the Schumann String Quartet and a member of the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

This year she has been invited to perform at the International Musicians Seminar Open Chamber Music Sessions at Prussia Cove.

As the 2006 winner of the Heineken Violin Competition Anna was loaned a 19th century violin made by George Chanot for four years. Anna currently plays on a Bernard Simon Fendt Violin purchased with the support of The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, The Arts Council and Music Network through the Music Capital Scheme 2011.

Back to top

View the concert archives

Concert diary

30 May 2012 @ 19:00 |

Violin- Piano & Accordian Recital, Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing- China
19 July 2012 @ 20:00 |

Violin and Piano Recital with Inju Oh , Calary Church: Wicklow, Ireland

Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Korngold.
25 August 2012 @ 19:30 |

Cashell~Watterton Duo Recital, St. Andrews Church, Colyton, Dorset.
12 September 2012 @ 19:30 |

Cashell~Watterton Duo Recital, The Forge Venue, Camden
27 October 2012 @ 19:30 |

Cashell~Watterton Duo Recital, Southwold Concert Series: St. Edmunds Church

Back to top

Concert archives

25 February 2011 @ 20:00 |

Recital with Robert Thompson, Chateau de Pramenoux
27 February 2011 @ 15:00 |

Recital with Robert Thompson, La Fontenille-Ventenac en Minervois
08 April 2011 @ 14:30 |

Cashell Duo Recital, Belltable Theatre- Limerick
31 July 2011 @ 19:30 |

Cashell~Watterton Duo Recital, The Pump Rooms Bath
12 August 2011 @ 19:30 |

Cashell Trio Recital, Wesley Place Methodist Church-Alsager
14 August 2011 @ 14:00 |

Cashell Trio Recital, St. Canices Cathedral Kilkenny
15 October 2011 @ 19:30 |

Cashell Trio Recital, Blair Atholl Music Series Pitlochry
10 December 2011 @ 15:00 |

11 World Premieres ~ with the Ossian Ensemble, Lille
11 December 2011 @ 15:00 |

11 World Premieres ~ with the Ossian Ensemble, Canturbury, St. Gregory's Centre for Music
19 December 2011 @ 15:00 |

Solo Violin, Clandon House, Guildford
19 December 2011 @ 20:00 |

Solo Violin, Clandon House, Guildford
20 December 2011 @ 20:00 |

Solo Violin, Clandon House, Guildford
12 January 2012 @ 13:00 |

Cashell~Watterton Duo Recital, St. John's Church, Notting Hill, London
14 May 2012 @ 13:00 |

Cashell~Watterton Duo Recital, St. Peters Church Notting Hill part of Notting Hill May Festival.

Back to top

Reviews

"Her playing of the lovely Nocturne was beautifully judged as she explored the music’s rich sound world … She rose to the technical demands of the Tarantella with its vivid evocations with dazzling virtuosity, her impassioned playing exuding an uplifting sense of exhilaration."
Margaret Davies, Musical Opinion

"She doesn't just have technical perfection, but that rare ability of the great violinists - she gives the impression that she is merely drawing out the beauty, intensity and feeling already inside the instrument."
The Guardian

Back to top

Photographs

Back to top

Audio & Visual Media

Cashell~Watterton Mozart Violin Sonata in G major

Cashell~Watterton Duo: Mozart violin sonata in G major

Cashell Duo perform music by Shchedrin

Cashell Duo perform at Belltable Theatre for ‘love live music day’.

Back to top

Audio Samples

The Cashell Duo

The Cashell Duo brings together a wealth of performing experience. Siblings Anna and Sophie are renowned soloists having performed in celebrated halls around the world, such as the Royal Festival and Wigmore Halls in London. Both began their studies in Ireland before training at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey.

Anna went on to study at the Royal College of Music in London where she won the Tagore Gold Medal the RCM’s highest accolade- and a number of prizes including the String Player of the Year and the prestigious Mills Williams Fellowship.

Whilst a student at the Royal Academy of Music , Sophie won the BBC ‘Classical Star Competition’. She recorded her debut album for Universal Classics and has appeared as a soloist on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and in France, Bosnia, Scotland, England and Ireland.

This year highlights include performances at the John Field Room in June, the Alsager Festival and the Kilkenny Arts Festival in August.

Back to top

The Cashell Trio

All three siblings studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and have graduated with honours and prizes from different Music Colleges in the UK. Highlight performances include performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and giving recitals in St. Martin in the Fields, London and St. James Piccadilly, London.

They have taken part in the Kilkenny International Arts Festival and West Cork Chamber Music Festival, working with such great musicians as Hartmut Rohde, Peter Bruns, the Vanbrugh Quartet and the record producer Andrew Keener. They have recorded for Lyric Fm on many occasions, including during the ‘East meets West’ Chamber music Festival in Cork.

The siblings have enjoyed performing in various charity concerts in support of the ‘Liberian Education Trust’ and ‘Save the Children’. The Cashell Trio ‘stood head and shoulders above the rest… whose players steered Brahms’ B major piano trio with disarming ease.‘ The Strad October 2007.

Back to top

Cashell Watterton Duo

Pianist Simon Watterton was born in Wirral, in North West England. He studied at the Purcell School of Music with Patsy Toh, and at the Royal College of Music with Yonty Solomon.

Simon is a regular recitalist at venues across the UK. Past appearances include performances at Wigmore Hall, St. John’s Smith Square, St. Martin’s In-the-Fields and Kettle’s Yard, amongst others. In 2005 he won the piano prize at the Haverhill Sinfonia Soloist Competition. In May 2006, as result of further competitive success at the Marlow Music Festival, he performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major, K488, at Cadogan Hall, with Southbank Sinfonia.

He was also recently featured as a Rising Star in the March/April issue of International Piano Quarterely magazine.In April 2010 Simon was awarded the British Music Prize at the inaugural Sussex International Piano Competition.

Simon and Anna have been performing together for a number of years and have recently performed in The Pump Rooms in Bath.

Back to top

Contact

Back to top