Christopher Marwood

Christopher Marwood graduated from Cambridge University in 1983 and went on to study at London’s Royal Academy of Music and Conservatorium Maastricht. Cello teachers included Florence Hooton, David Strange, Ralph Kirshbaum, William Pleeth and Radu Aldulescu. His chamber music mentor for several years was Emmanuel Hurwitz.
As cellist of the Vanbrugh Quartet for 32 years, Christopher Marwood enjoyed a busy career performing throughout Ireland and touring worldwide. The Quartet released over thirty CDs encompassing a wide range of repertoire and including the complete Beethoven quartets (“fine enough to bear comparison with any set” Fanfare, USA). They built up a considerable repertoire including at least sixty Irish works, many of them commissions or premieres. The Quartet’s contribution to music in Ireland was formally recognized in 2016 when they were presented with the National Concert Hall’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Christopher co-founded the West Cork Chamber Music Festival with Francis Humphrys in 1996 and remains director of the Festival’s masterclass programme. He is also director of Ireland’s National String Quartet Foundation. He teaches at CIT Cork School of Music and at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and continues to perform both as soloist and as chamber musician.