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Cellos

Eduardo Vassallo

Section Leader Cello
Headshot of cellist Eduardo Vassallo

Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Eduardo began playing the cello at six-years-old. His father was a professional bass player and would take him to rehearsals and concerts from a very young age. Eduardo says ‘one day he asked me if I would like to study cello and I said yes – in the space of a week I had my first cello and my first lesson. I’ve never looked back!’

Eduardo studied with Nicolas Finoli in Buenos Aires, with Radu Aldulescu and Pierre Fournier in Switzerland and with Boris Pergamenschikow in Germany. He says ‘I was very lucky to have the chance to work with these great teachers; I am very grateful to all of them!’

Before he joined the CBSO Eduardo was section leader cello of the National Symphony Orchestra in Argentina, a founder member of the National Radio String Quartet of Argentina and a member of the Camerata Lysy in Switzerland where he met his wife, and CBSO Violist, Catherine Bower.

As section leader cello Eduardo says he has many highlights ‘but the Simon Rattle and Andris Nelsons years were very special’.

Outside of the CBSO, Eduardo is passionate about teaching; he taught for 32 years at the Royal Northern College of Music, and still teaches at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He enjoys listening to and playing tango with the ‘El Ultimo Tango’ quintet, playing chamber music and solo pieces and watching football from around the world. He is also involved in several festivals in South America, some of which involve working with youngsters from deprived backgrounds. If that weren’t enough, Eduardo also has his own Latin American cello festival every two years in Buenos Aires. With all that activity it’s probably no surprise that Eduardo’s final favourite activity outside of the CBSO is taking holidays.

Image gallery

Photograph of Eduardo Vassallo and Sheku Kanneh-Mason chatting whilst taking a bow at Symphony Hall
© 2022 Credit : Andrew Fox
Photograph of cellist Eduardo Vassallo smiling at the camera during a recording session whilst he wears headphones and holds his cello
© 2022 Credit : Hannah Fathers

Supported by Jan Adams in memory of Mike

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Photograph of Kazuki Yamada conducting the orchestra at Symphony Hall

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