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Keiran Campbell was drawn to the cello after he stumbled across one in his grandmother’s basement and was baffled by its size. Once he turned 8, he began taking lessons- on a much smaller cello- in his native Greensboro, North Carolina.  After studying extensively with Leonid Zilper, former solo cellist of the Bolshoi Ballet, he received his Bachelors and Masters at the Juilliard School, working with Darrett Adkins, Timothy Eddy, and Phoebe Carrai.  Keiran also spent several springs in Cornwall, England, studying with Steven Isserlis and Ralph Kirshbaum at Prussia Cove.   He now is based in Toronto, Canada, where he performs as a core member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

Described as “a delightful performer… playing with the ease of a pub fiddler,” (The WholeNote) and “an active, sparkling participant in the musical conversation” (Toronto Star), Keiran has performed with ensembles including The English Concert, NYBI, Philharmonia Baroque, The Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, Four Nations Ensemble, and Les Violons du Roy.  He recently performed with Le Concert Des Nations under Jordi Savall, touring Europe performing Beethoven Symphonies before recording them on Savall’s new Beethoven CD. During his summers, Keiran has performed with Teatro Nuovo, Lakes Area Music Festival, and The Carmel Bach Festival. He is also on faculty at the recently formed, UC Berkeley-based, Chamber Music Collective, which focuses primarily on post-1750 performance practice.  Recent performance highlights include concerto appearances with Tafelmusik and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, a concert of Monteverdi Madrigals with Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations in Carnegie Hall, a solo recital with fortepianist Sezi Seskir at the Berkeley Early Music festival, and performances of Handel’s Saul and Solomon with English Concert at the BBC Proms and Edinburgh Festival.

Keiran maintained a private teaching studio in New York City, and he recently gave masterclasses at UNC Chapel Hill, Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, Western University, at Tafelmusik Winter Institute, and at Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute.

Keiran plays on a cello by Timothy Johnson, and a 1770s bow attributed to the Dodd family, which was purchased in part thanks to a grant from the Ontario Arts Council. Keiran is also fascinated with instrument making, which he studies with the maker of his cello, Timothy Johnson.

2024-2025

September 2024:

15: Tafelmusik chamber concert in Picton, ON 27, 28, 29: Mozart Jupiter, Tafelmusik with Rachel Podger

October 2024:

4, 5, 6: Complete Cello Suites by J.S. Bach in Raimat, Spain
12, 13: The English Orpheus with Twelfth Night Ensemble, in Seattle, WA 18, 19, 20: Feast for the Senses, Tafelmusik with Amandine Beyer 10/25-10/27: 25-29: Korea TOUR– Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Rachel Podger, in Incheon, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju, South Korea

November 2024:

1, 2: Korea TOUR– Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Rachel Podger, in Seoul, South Korea 22, 23, 24: Christmas Oratorio, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra

December 2024:
7: 7th Street Concerts in Charlotte, NC 12, 13, 14: Handel Messiah with Les Violons du Roy, Bernard Labadie, in Quebec City and Montreal, Guest Principal 20, 21, 22: Handel Messiah with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra

January 2025:

10, 11: Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Guest Principal, in Houston, TX 26: Tafelmusik Chamber Concert in Hamilton, ON 31: Brilliant Baroque, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Rachel Podger

February 2025:

1, 2: Brilliant Baroque, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Rachel Podger 8: Vivaldi Gloria with Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and Jean-Sébastien Vallée 13, 14: Un Violon Hors du Temps, Les Violons du Roy avec Kerson Leong 21, 22, 23: Triple Espresso- Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Alfredo Bernardini 27, 28, March 1, 2: The Gut Instinct Chamber Project in Durham, NC- Schubert Cello Quintet and Fanny Mendelssohn Trio

March 2025:

7, 8, 9: Baroque and Roll- Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Miloš Valent 28, 30: Haydn+Beethoven, Handel+Haydn with Jonathan Cohen in Boston, MA

April 2025:

9, 10, 12, 13: Charpentier David and Jonathan with Opera Atelier

May 2025:

2, 3, 4: Concerti Virtuosi, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Rachel Podger 15, 16: Chaconnes et Passacailles avec Bernard Labadie 23, 24, 25: Samuel Mariño at the Opera- Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Samuel Mariño

June 2025:

8-15: Boston Early Music Festival, Opera Orchestra, Festival Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra

Dates TBD, Chamber Music Collective at Bucknell University

I am available for cello lessons in Toronto and via Skype. To enquire about lesson rates, to schedule a lesson, to book me for concerts, or to ask any other questions, fill out the form below!