Ben Tarlton - Cello
Ben Tarlton was selected as a Finalist for the 2020 Guildhall Gold Medal, performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and in 2021, a Royal Over-Seas League String Finalist. Concert highlights include an Award-winners’ Recital at Wigmore Hall, Recitals at St James’s Church Piccadilly and St Martin-in-the-Fields, Brahms’s Double Concerto at St John’s Smith Square and Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time in The Barbican Hall and Cambridge Summer Music Festival. In February 2020 he gave the UK Premier of Anders Hillborg’s work Duo for Cello and Piano in a BBC ‘Total Immersion’ Concert in Milton Court Concert Hall, which The Guardian commented, "Ben Tarlton and Ben Smith did wonders with it, playing with extraordinary precision and insight".
Born in Wales, Ben studied with Sharon McKinley and Alexander Baillie before attending the Yehudi Menuhin School to study with Thomas Carroll. He received a Scholarship to study at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Louise Hopkins, also supported by Help Musicians UK and The Countess of Munster Trust. In 2019, he was awarded The Suggia Gift by Help Musicians UK and The David Goldman Award from The Worshipful Company of Musicians. Ben is a Concordia Foundation Artist, a Park Lane Group Artist and a Yeomen of The Worshipful Company of Musicians; also receiving their prestigious Silver Medal Award in 2020, nominated by The Guildhall School.
In 2016, Ben was selected as a Fellow to participate in the Piatigorsky Cello Festival in Los Angeles. In November that year, he performed Schumann’s Cello Concerto with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra for the LSO’s Donatella Flick Conducting Competition Semi-Finalists. Ben participated in the masterclasses at IMS Prussia Cove in 2017 and has frequently attended The Open Chamber Music Seminar since.
Ben has performed in other venues and Festivals such as Cadogan Hall, West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge, Wales Millennium Centre, Cowbridge Music Festival, Casa da Musica in Porto, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Muziekegebouw in Amsterdam and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. He has played in masterclasses for Frans Helmerson, Ralph Kirshbaum, Colin Carr, Raphael Wallfisch, Heinrich Schiff and has had chamber music coaching with Andras Keller, Rita Wagner, Ralf Gothoni, The Takacs Quartet, The Brentano Quartet, The Gould Piano Trio and The Endellion Quartet.
Ben is Artistic Director of the Llantwit Major Chamber Music Festival, cello teacher at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, a chamber music coach for Pro Corda and regularly performs chamber music concerts across Wales for Sinfonia Cymru.
Ben joined us, with violinist Samuel Staples, to perform Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in our March 2022 concert.
