Louise Hopkins FGS AGSM

Biography

Louise Hopkins studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Raphael Wallfisch and Steven Isserlis. From a very early age she attended the International Musicians' Seminars at Prussia Cove studying intensively with András Schiff for duo class and György Kurtág for Chamber Music alongside the cello masterclasses with Steven Isserlis and Ralph Kirshbaum.

Louise made her debut at the Barbican Hall playing Witold Lutosławski’s Cello Concerto (conducted by the composer) on which The Times commented that ‘players with such personality, agility and power are rare'. At this time she won a number of young artist awards resulting in numerous recitals throughout the UK. Louise also won the Frank Britton Award which resulted in her Wigmore debut aged 19, quickly followed for several years in succession with concerts at the Wigmore supported by the Tillet and Kirkman Trusts. She has continued to perform as a soloist and chamber musician and has developed an international career which has taken her all over Europe, USA, Australia,New Zealand and Japan.

A frequent participant at major festivals Louise has regularly visited Aldeburgh where she has performed chamber music and solo concerts including Britten’s Cello Symphony for a BBC Symphony Orchestra live broadcast conducted by Leonard Slatkin 37 years to the day of the first performance of the work at Snape Maltings. Other festivals include Cheltenham, Bath, Brighton, Harrogate, the Vertavo Quartet’s festival at Elverum in Norway, Dijon, the Belgrade Cello Festival, Amsterdam Cello Biennale 2010 and 2014, the Irish Chamber Orchestra's summer festival where she performed Tavener's The Protecting Veil and Trondheim International Chamber Music Festival 2013.

Louise has attended Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove for over 20 years and participated in the 2008 tour culminating at the Wigmore Hall. She has broadcast frequently on the BBC, RTE, WFMT, Swiss Romande, ABC, New Zealand Radio and Radio France to name but a few. The London Sinfonietta released her BBC recording of Dai Fujikura’s Fifth Station for Cello and Orchestra (conducted by Martyn Brabbins) taken from a live performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the 2006 Jerwood Foundation series which was reviewed by The Times as "brilliantly played".

As a chamber musician Louise has performed in venues from the Wigmore Hall to the Sydney Opera House. She has frequently appeared as a guest with the Takács Quartet and Thomas Adès with whom she has recorded his piano quartet Catch for EMI. She has been invited by Emmanuel Pahud to perform at the Wigmore and at his festival in Salon de Provence and also performed at Australia’s Chamber Music Festival from 2009-2011. She will return for their 25th anniversary in 2015. She performs regularly with the pianist Aleksandar Madžar with whom she has recorded sonatas by Schnittke, Carter and Rachmaninoff for a CD for Intim Musik. Other collaborations have included those with András Keller, Anthony Marwood, Alexander Janiczek, Ferenc Rados, Dénes Várjon, Kathryn Stott, Alexander Melnikov, Piers Lane, Tamara Stefanovich, François Leleux and Steven Kovacevich.

At the age of 25 Louise was one of the youngest ever professors to be appointed to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and was appointed Head of Strings in 2011. Before that she also taught at the Yehudi Menuhin School until 2006. She has given masterclasses in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Serbia, The Netherlands, Singapore, and throughout the UK. In September 2007 Louise began as a Cello Professor at the Hochschule in Bern, Switzerland. She has been a jury member on a number of international competitions including the Banff and Trondheim String Quartet competitions.

Bachtrack on Louise Hopkins' Kurtág 90 concert in Budapest

Bachtrack on Louise Hopkins' Milton Court Alumni Recital Series concert