Richard Harwood

As chamber musician, he has collaborated with the Jerusalem and Endellion Quartets, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Olivier Charlier, Benjamin Schmid, Alena Baeva, Ilya Gringolts, Pekka Kuusisto, Vilde Frang, Chen Halevi, Julian Bliss, Martin Roscoe, Finghin Collins, Ashley Wass, Gottlieb Wallisch, and Julius Drake, among others. In 2014, Richard became the cellist of the Sitkovetsky Trio.

Richard's discography include a critically acclaimed debut disc for EMI Classics, recorded with pianist Christoph Berner, and Composing Without The Picture, a 2013 solo album of concert works written by film composers, on Resonus. In addition, Richard can be seen and heard in Phil Grabsky's 2009 documentary In Search of Beethoven which received its theatrical premiere at the Barbican Theatre, London, was broadcast on Sky Arts, and shown in cinemas worldwide.

Richard has won numerous awards including the 2004 Pierre Fournier Award for 'cellists. In 1992, he became the youngest ever winner of the Audi Junior Musician Award. In addition, he won the Worshipful Company of Musicians Maisie Lewis Young Artists Award in 2001 and, in 2004, Richard became the first British 'cellist ever to be awarded the title "Bachpreisträger" at the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, Leipzig. Among many other accolades, he received the special "mention" prize from the jury at the Concours de violoncelle Rostropovitch, Paris in 2005.

Contemporary music plays an important role for Richard. This started in 2002 when he took part in the Park Lane Group Young Artists' Series on the South Bank and premiered solo works written for him by Dominic Muldowney and Martin Butler. He has also worked with Philip Grange, giving the London premiere of his Nocturnal Image and given the European premiere of David Horne's Zip with the composer at the piano. For his solo album Composing Without the Picture, Richard premiered works written for him by Christopher Gunning, Alex Heffes, Fernando Velázquez, and Benjamin Wallfisch.

In 1997, BBC Music Magazine selected him in their worldwide "Who's Who" edition and, in 2000, Richard was entered into the "International Who's Who in Music" as an 'up and coming talent on the brink of worldwide recognition.'

After beginning cello studies with two local teachers, Richard studied with Joan Dickson from 1988 until her death in 1994, before continuing with Steven Doane and David Waterman (1994–1999), Heinrich Schiff (1999-2003 at the University of Music and Dramatic Art, Vienna) and Ralph Kirshbaum (2003-2005 at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester).

Richard Craig Harwood (born 8 August 1979) is a British cellist.

Richard plays a cello by Francesco Rugeri, dated 1692.