Claude Debussy      Cello Sonata 
Rebecca Clarke       Rhapsody 
Mel Bonis                 Cello Sonata in F major, Op. 67 
César Franck           Violin Sonata

This programme is centred around two of the most well-known and loved sonatas in the repertoire - Debussy's Cello Sonata and Franck's Violin Sonata (played in the arrangement for cello that is widely performed and recorded). In between these two great works, is a sonata by Mel Bonis, a composer of fantastic music who had a fascinating life, and Rebecca Clarke's "Rhapsody." Described as a 'powerfully expressive chamber work' by The Strad, it is a twentieth-century masterpiece that was left undiscovered for many decades, but is now becoming more a part of the standard repertoire.

Laura van der Heijden (cello)

“[Van der Heijden] does it all — from fragility to power, introversion to extroversion. Her playing — just as her conversation — is deeply thoughtful, personal and sincere.”   [BBC Music Magazine]

British cellist Laura Van der Heijden has emerged as one of the leading cellists of her generation, captivating audiences and critics alike with her deeply perceptive interpretations and engaging and creative programming.

Forthcoming concerto appearances include with the Brno Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Other highlights of
Laura’s 2024/25 season include recitals at the Cello Biënnale Amsterdam and Wigmore Hall with pianist Jâms Coleman, collaborative projects at the Serios Fesitval in Helsinki and with Her Ensemble at London’s Milton Court, and a chamber project alongside Alina Ibragimova and Ben Goldscheider at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin.

Having given the World Premiere of Frances-Hoad’s ‘Earth, Sea, Air’ in 2023 with BBC Scottish Symphony, Laura took to the stage of the Royal Albert Hall with the orchestra and conductor Ryan Wigglesworth to perform the work at the 2024 BBC Proms. A Chandos artist, Laura’s latest release on the label in 2024 includes the premiere recording of Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s new work alongside Bridge Oration and Walton’s Cello Concerto. An increasingly prominent voice on the classical music scene, Laura recently appeared on Jess Gillam’s podcast ‘This Classical Life’ and Tom Service’s ‘Saturday Morning’ show on BBC Radio 3, and was featured as a cover article for The Strad publication.

Highlights of recent seasons include as ‘Artist in Focus’ at King’s Place, and concerto appearances with the London Philharmonic, Aurora and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, CBSO, and play/direct with the Britten Sinfonia. She also appeared at the Barbican with the BBC Symphony Orchestra as part of their George Walker ‘Total Immersion’ project. Laura’s 2023/24 season included solo and chamber recitals at the BBC Proms, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall, Cheltenham Music Festival, St George’s Bristol and Lammermuir and Bad Kissingen Summer Festivals. Laura has worked with distinguished conductors the late Sir Andrew Davis, Alpesh Chauhan, Nick Collon, Richard Egarr, Gemma New, and Karl-Heinz Steffens amongst them.

Now with a growing discography, Laura’s first album on Chandos Records, ‘Pohádka’, features works by Janáček and Dvořák and was released to critical acclaim in 2022, followed in 2023 by Mozart Piano Quartets with chamber partners Francesca Dego, Timothy Ridout, and Federico Colli, and ‘Transfigured’ with Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective. In 2024 Chandos released Laura’s album with pianist Jâms Coleman featuring works inspired by William T. Horton’s captivating image ‘Path to the Moon’ and Kaleidoscope’s first volume of ‘Brahms and contemporaries’, featuring piano quartets of Brahms and Le Beau. Having won the BBC Young Musician competition in 2012 aged 15, Laura’s 2018 debut album ‘1948’ won the 2018 Edison Klassiek Award and the 2019 BBC Music Magazine Newcomer of the Year Award. The disc, featuring Russian music for cello and piano with pianist Petr Limonov, has been hailed as a “a thought-provoking debut disc from an impressive and intelligent young cellist.” (Gramophone)

A passionate chamber musician and collaborative artist, Laura plays with the critically-acclaimed Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, who perform a wide variety of captivating repertoire across the UK and beyond. She has performed chamber recitals collaborating with many acclaimed musicians including Timothy Ridout, Antje Weithaas, Max Baillie, Misha Mullov-Abbado, Hélène Clément, the Doric Quartet, the Redon Quartet, and the Brodsky Quartet.

Laura is a graduate of Cambridge University and currently studies with Antje Weithaas in Berlin. She plays a late seventeenth century cello by Francesco Ruggieri of Cremona, on generous loan from a private collection.

Jâms Coleman (piano)

“Coleman’s playing is outstanding, with thrilling variety…exquisite touch… and imagination at the piano”   [Natasha Loges, BBC Music Magazine]

From Anglesey, North Wales, Jâms Coleman is a pianist who enjoys performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and vocal accompanist. He regularly performs at prestigious festivals and venues in the UK and internationally and recent highlights include recitals at the Aldeburgh Festival, BBC Proms, Champs Hill, Cello Biënnale (Amsterdam), Cheltenham Festival, Kings Place, Leeds Lieder Festival, LSO St Luke’s, Ortús Chamber Music Festival (Cork), Oxford International Song Festival, Petworth Festival, Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, The Royal Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), and Wigmore Hall.

Jâms has a duo partnership with cellist Laura van der Heijden. Described as 'intriguing and beguiling' by The Guardian and as 'gently alluring, enigmatic and romantic' by Gramophone, their most recent album – ‘Path to the Moon’ - reached two million streams worldwide in the first week and was selected as Radio 3’s Album of the Week. They performed repertoire from the album at Wigmore Hall as part of the BBC Radio 3 recital series.

Other albums include a disc of Fanny Hensel lieder for First Hand Records (recorded in Mendelssohn Haus, Leipzig), a disc of Loewe lieder with baritone Nicholas Mogg for Champs Hill, and an album of works by Pamela Harrison with James Gilchrist, Alice Neary and Robert Plane for Resonus Classics. Future project include an album of Bridge and Britten with Maria Włoszczowska, Hélène Clément and Steffan Morris for Champs Hill Records, and an album of works by Bacewicz with the Karski Quartet for the Evil Penguin label.

He regularly works with singers and instrumentalists at the top of the profession. Highlights include performances with BBC NOW, Britten Sinfonia, the Karski Quartet, the Elias Quartet, and the Marmen Quartet; recitals with instrumentalists Hélène Clément, Simon Crawford-Phillips, Brett Dean, Vashti Hunter, Guy Johnston, Jonian Ilias Kadesha, Braimah Kanneh-Mason, Felix Klieser, Jack Liebeck, Amy Norrington, Jennifer Pike, Timothy Ridout, and Jonathan Stone; recitals with singers Claire Booth, Katherine Broderick, James Newby, Nicky Spence, Sir John Tomlinson, Sir Bryn Terfel, and Elizabeth Watts.

Jâms read Music at Girton College, Cambridge, where he was also a Choral Scholar. He graduated with a Masters from the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded an ARAM in 2023.