Heather Bills
Cello
Heather was born in Adelaide, South Australia and came to the UK on a scholarship to take up studies at the Royal College of Music in London, studying with Christopher Bunting & Amaryllis Fleming, during which time she won the Australia Prize of the Royal Overseas League Competition and prizes for chamber music at the RCM. She participated in solo and chamber music courses with such esteemed musicians as William Pleeth, Jacqueline du Pre, Ralph Kirshbaum and Emmanuel Hurwitz in Banff, Dartington, Prussia Cove, Monterosso & Perugia respectively, where her love for chamber music was firmly established.
Heather was the co-Principal cellist of the Hallé Orchestra from ’83-’90 before moving to the isle of Anglesey. Whilst based in north Wales she was Principal cellist of the chamber group Ensemble Cymru and of the Welsh Chamber Orchestra. During this time, in 1996 she also spent a year in Australia as Guest Principal of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
In 2008 she returned to Manchester & re-established a busy freelance career working with the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, Northern Chamber Orchestra and Opera North. Heather also loves teaching and is a member of staff in the music departments at Junior RNCM, Manchester University and Manchester Grammar School. She also runs a very busy private studio, teaching students of all ages and standards. In 2011 with her husband, pianist Harvey Davies, she founded and now co-directs the Pleyel Ensemble, an exciting chamber group based in Manchester which has twice been awarded the accolade of ‘Selected Artists’ by Making Music’s ‘Concert Promotors’ Group’. With the Pleyels, under the MPR record label, she has also made premiere recordings of the chamber music of Arnold Cooke and the works for cello and piano by Thomas Pitfield.