Nicholas Holland

Nicholas Holland won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the unusually young age of 16 to study under Florence Hooton, Derek Simpson and Douglas Cummings. After concluding his studies with many prizes and First Class Honours, he subsequently achieved first prize at the coveted Jacqueline du Pre Award. At the age of 19, Nicholas became principal cellist of the Italian Toscanini Orchestra where he remained for a year before moving on to tour the world as principal cellist and soloist of the Heidelberg Kammer Orchestra. Nicholas is a keen chamber musician having recorded flute quartets for EMI and been a member of the English String Quartet for nine years. Now in his twenty second year of being a member of the Balanescu Quartet, he tours the world, performing in such venues as the Sydney Opera House, La Scala and the Queen Elizabeth and Royal Festival Halls. Nicholas has also recorded for films from ‘The Mission’ to ‘Harry Potter’, for TV dramas such as ‘Emma’,’The Crown’ and ’Victoria’ and as soloist for the recent movies ‘Brighton Rock’ and ‘Dorian Gray’. He recently recorded the entire soundtrack for the drama ‘Bodyguard’ on his own design of electric cello.