Gavin Kibble

Gavin Kibble cello cellist baroque viola da gamba

LONDON HANDEL PLAYERS

Gavin joined the London Handel Players in 2022 as a cellist and viola da gamba player. Originally from Southampton, UK, he studied first at the University of Oxford (with Laurence Dreyfus) and then at the Royal Academy of Music (with Jonathan Manson and Joseph Crouch) before continuing his studies privately with Gerhart Darmstadt and Juan Manuel Quintana. Shortly after graduating, he took part in the orchestral academies of Ambronay, Aix-en-Provence and Saintes.

A frequent guest principal of the Academy of Ancient Music, Gavin is also a member of Solomons Knot baroque collective and is involved with many other ensembles including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Gabrieli Consort, the Sixteen, La Nuova Musica, the Dunedin Consort, I Fagiolini, Arcangelo, the Mozartists, La Serenissima and the Early Opera Company. For several years he was principal cellist of the Old Street Band, the period instrument orchestra associated with English Touring Opera. Further afield, he has been invited to play as guest continuo cellist at the Opera del Liceu in Barcelona, as well as with groups including Cappella Mediterranea, Vox Luminis and the Irish Baroque Orchestra. Gavin also collaborates with the 'Newe Vialles', where he mostly plays tenor viol. He is an experienced practitioner of contemporary music and was recently involved in the creation of Clorinda Agonistes, a new piece by Kareem Roustom for the Shobana Jeyasingh dance company.

Foremost in Gavin’s arsenal of instruments are cellos by Arnaud Giral and Krzysztof Krupa, and a viola da gamba by Ester Passiatore. His bows are made by Hagen Schiffler, Eduardo Gorr, Richard Moser and Emilio Slaviero.

Gavin now lives in Hastings, on the South coast of the UK. He has a very wide range of musical interests and he is always on the lookout for new collaborators and experiences.