Claes Gunnarsson, cello
Born in Gothenburg, Sweden 1976. Claes started to learn the cello and the piano at the age of seven. At sixteen he was accepted to the Gothenburg Music College where he in 1996 got his master of music and soloist diploma.
1996-99 he was a student at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, studying with the world renowned cellist Ralph Kirshbaum.
Since 1998, Claes is the principal cellist of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
As one of the leading cellists in Sweden, he has appeard as a soloist in most of the European countries and China. He has performed with orchestras such as the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Musica Vitae, Royal Northern Chamber Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and London Soloists Chamber Orchestra under conductors including Ronald Zollman, En Shao and Neeme Järvi. In november 2000, Claes had his London debut together with Sara Trobäck in Queen Elisabeth Hall performing the Brahms dubbel concerto.
He has been invited to the most important festivals including Manchester international Cellofestival, Kronberg Cellofestival, Båstad, Umeå and Gotland Chambermusic Festivals as well as Musik vid Siljan and Peterborough Music Festival playing chambermusic with Roland Pöntinen, Elisabeth Westenholz, Lynn Harrell, Christian Zacharias among others.
Claes has won several prizes and awards including Guido Vecchi award, first prizewinner of the Ljunggrenska competition 1998, prizewinner in Kronberg Cellofestival and most recently he was selected to recieve the Neeme Järvi scholarship 2002.
In 1998 he was chosed to be Artist in residence at the Swedish broadcasting corporation. He has done several recordings for them wich has been broadcasted succesfully in whole Europe.
Claes is playing on a cello made by D. Tecchler 1707. |
