Welcome to Joanna Twaddle, who is joining our Cellos

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.

At what age did you start playing your instrument, and what made you choose it? Were there any memorable early experiences that made you realise you wanted to do this as a career?

My mother is an amateur violinist so music was always a big part of our home life. I’m one of four children and when my two older brothers both started learning the violin, it quickly felt like the violin section of the family was already full. I decided I wanted to play the cello instead – partly because it balanced things out, but mostly because it was bigger and I absolutely loved the sound of it! As it turned out, my choice also helped my mum get closer to her dream of having a family string quartet. One of my brothers later switched to the viola and my younger sister took up the violin and before long the Twaddle String Quartet was born. We performed together quite regularly at school concerts and charity events, which made for a special introduction to chamber music.

Do you have any heroes on your instrument?

One of my musical heroes on the cello is Jacqueline du Pré. Growing up, she was one of the only female cellists I was really aware of and as a young British cellist that felt especially inspiring. I’ve always been struck by the richness of her sound and the emotional honesty in her playing. There’s such intensity and commitment in the way she performed and I love the physicality she brought to the instrument – it made her performances feel incredibly direct and powerful.

Something you might not know about me:

I absolutely love animals – when I was doing my A-levels, I even considered becoming a vet! But my passion for the cello ultimately won out. I’ve grown up with dogs all my life and whenever I visit family in Yorkshire, I get to see Alfie and Murphy, our completely crazy springer spaniels.

If you could go back, what advice would you give your younger self as an aspiring musician?

I would tell my younger self to keep pushing and keep striving. The music profession is full of highs and lows – you won’t win every competition or play perfectly every time – but resilience is key. Stay committed, keep learning and trust that every challenge is part of your growth as a musician.

If you had to pick, what is your favourite piece of orchestral music, and why?

My favourite orchestral piece is Ein Heldenleben by Richard Strauss. It’s thrilling yet intimate, with a cello part that’s never gets boring to play. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to play it with both Sir Simon Rattle and Sir Antonio Pappano!

What piece of orchestral music would you recommend to someone who has never heard an orchestra before, and why?

I’d recommend Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz because it’s so dramatic and colourful – it tells a story through sound and really shows off all the different instruments in an orchestra.

Does your instrument have an interesting story or history behind it?

My cello, Geraldine, was made in 2013 by Wolfgang Schnabl. The back is made from wood that’s been in his family for over 100 years, so she looks older than she really is. I named her Geraldine after one of my hamsters!