Cellist Sebastian Williams started learning the cello at the age of seven and he won all the major string prizes at local festivals before enrolling as a student of James Halsey at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music at the age of fourteen. He became a student at the Purcell School for sixth form where he studied cello and chamber music with Dr Richard Jenkinson. During his time at the Purcell School, he was principal cellist of the School Symphony Orchestra, performing at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Cadogan Hall and at the Hatfield House Chamber Series. He was fortunate to participate in solo masterclasses with Stefan Popov, Josephine Knight and Julian Lloyd- Webber in addition to masterclasses as a member of the Avalon Trio. He was awarded an Honourable Mention in the Senior String Class of the New Talent Festival and has also been a member of Aldeburgh Young Musicians and national ensembles. Sebastian is fortunate to have had a range of performing experiences, the most notable of which have been performing in the Lunchtime Chamber Series at the Wigmore Hall and performing Elgar’s cello concerto at Snape Maltings. Since September 2023 he has been a student of Josephine Knight at the Royal Academy of Music. Sebastian is grateful for the support he has received from the Wolfson Trust, the Leverhulme Foundation, the Scarfe Trust and the Ed Sheeran Foundation. He plays an old English cello on loan to him from the Benslow Trust.
