Joanna Twaddle

Cello

Member since 2026

Born in Leeds, Joanna began playing the cello at the age of five, studying with Mary Cawood in Huddersfield before continuing her studies with Sue Lowe in York. At eleven, she was awarded a Silver Bursary for achieving one of the highest marks in the country in her ABRSM Grade 8 examination. Two years later, she joined the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, performing with the orchestra for five years.

Joanna completed her Bachelor’s degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London in 2019, where she studied with Tim Lowe. She graduated with distinction and was awarded a Concert Recital Diploma in recognition of the exceptional standard of her final recital. During her time in London, she won first prize at the Muriel Taylor Cello Competition, whose previous winners include Steven Isserlis and Raphael Wallfisch.

From 2019 to 2022, Joanna studied with Professor Thomas Demenga at the Musik-Akademie Basel as part of her Master of Performance. After winning the academy’s annual Schlusskonzert Competition, she was invited to perform Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with Kammerorchester Basel in September 2020. In November of the same year, she was awarded a scholarship from the Rahn Kulturfonds.

Since completing her studies, Joanna has established herself as a freelance cellist, performing with leading orchestras across the UK and Switzerland. In 2026, she joined the London Symphony Orchestra.