Graham du Plessis

British-South African dual national, Graham du Plessis is the Cello Lecturer and Chamber Music Coach at the South African College of Music (University of Cape Town), where he performs as a member of the UCT Piano Trio with Associate Professors Francois du Toit and Farida Bacharova. He completed his Bachelor of Music (Hons) at the University of Birmingham. He then went on to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where he completed his MMus specialising in cello performance (in 2007). He was the recipient of the Eifion Evans award for musical excellence and the winner of the Cardiff Violins chamber music competition. As a teenager he was also a runner-up in the BBC Proms Young Composer competition. After his studies Graham enjoyed performing chamber music throughout Europe, giving recitals in the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, and in Ischia as a guest of Lady Walton (the late wife of the composer William Walton). He also worked with a variety of British orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and various other symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles. Graham has also appeared as a cellist in several mainstream films, recorded film and TV music for the likes of Universal, and he has performed and recorded music with a number of contemporary artists from a range of genres. Whilst regularly working in the UK and Europe, Graham is currently based in Cape Town, South Africa. In addition to his performing career, he is a Director and founding member of the Cape Chamber Music Collective - an organisation that puts on diverse chamber music programs in the Western Cape.