Gabriella Swallow is a twenty-three years old Irish cellist graduate of the Royal College of Music.

She lives in Fuhlam, London. In 1990 she won a scholarship to Cheltenham’s School of Music where she studied with Nick Jones. In 1999 Gabriella was awarded an ABRSM Scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music with Jerome Pernoo and composition with Timothy Salter. During her graduate years she was principal cello at the Royal College of Music‘s Sinfonietta and Symphony Orchestras and has performed with the new Perspectives Ensemble under Edwin Roxburgh where she developed her passion for contemporary music and art. Speaking of art David Hockney’s “Devil Portraits”,capturing very natural climax, is among her favourite artists. Gabriella is a lively, vivid, determined, outgoing and fun-loving girl who enjoys the music she plays. When she can, she meets somebody’s wishes and is open-minded. When she plays, everyday life people inspire her such as her best friends who plays the cello too. She enjoys the music she plays.However Gabriella does not just play the cello. She also plays the electric cello in bands. At the early age of six she saw the first Opera performance and at ten years old she had her first experience of new music.The performance was a world premiere of a contemporary abstract piece. It was based upon the story of Gawain and the green knight by Sir Harrison Birtwhistle, the British composer. She is currently a student attending a postgraduate course at the Royal College of Music located in South Kensington in London opposite the RoyalAlbertHall. Gabriella's day begins at eight in the morning to go to the gym until half past ten, after that she may practice until mid afternoon or be rehearsing. After which she teaches until seven in the evening when her day comes to an end and meets up with her friends or her boyfriend who is a composer. However some nights she may have a venue or a concert, or goes salsa dancing. She goes to a lot of contemporary concerts, her boyfriend and her go to jazz concerts and cafe’s. As a whole Gabriella is trying to do something different with music as lots of cellists tend to do the same thing. When she performs she likes dressing up. Among her favourite Fashion designers are Gucci, Stella McCartney and Biba, as well as vintage pieces.

GABRIELLA SWALLOW music what a passion SOME LIKE IT HOT by Camilla Pinto

She likes mixing cheap with expensive clothes. Though, she explains, the music industry is a very competitive one, her future dream is to play music of her choice as opposed to play what she is expected to play in an orchestra. She would like to play the cello and chamber music (a piano trio). Gabriella has travelled to play in Holland, Ireland, Vienna and Germany. In Paris Gabriella played Beethoven and Rachmaninov Sonatas. She has a good cultural knowledge background nurtured by her parents who instead are dentists, a completely different profession from the choice of Gabriella and of her sister who is an actress. Gabriella is nothing of the kind of the person who I thought a cellist would be, closed up in a room just rehearsing Classical music as I immagined. Meeting Gabriella has made me change mind. I had heared of Mstislav Rostropovich, the greatest living cellist, because my grandmother once, lived in Connecticut and often met the daughter of Mstislav Rostropovich, Olga, at the time married with a member of the Dumas family, owners of Herme's. They had a countryside house close to my grandmother's one. Gabriella reads ‘900 novels and among her likings is "The Scarlet Letter". She goes to Theater and Opera performances, such as those by William Shakespeare and "The Turn of the screw"by Benjamin Britain based on the novel by Henry James. In terms of music she finds Ludwig Van Beethoven is a very forward thinker and a very radical musician. Her mother plays the harpsichord as an amateur. It has been fun photographing Gabriella looking like Marilyn Monroe who is one of her icons. Gabriella role played perfectly well Marilyn Monroe, as the public saw her in her films. Gabriella and I played with the version of Marilyn Monroe in the film "Some like it hot". She is an absolutely radiant girl. Reach the music hall at the Royal College of Music, where we shot the picture, took a while because at every step she made along the way some tutor or school mate greeted her. She had a smile and words for everyone. The R.C.M has been extremely happy to pointing me out Gabriella. Gabriella has been such a patient and spontaneous model, far from being a diva, she fitted perfectly in the role. Gabriella has music flowing in her veins since chilhood. She has great potential and most probably the wide public will hear about her talent.

GABRIELLA SWALLOW

Ph. Archive

GABRIELLA SWALLOW AT

ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC

Ph. Archive

Gabriella Swallow plays Marilyn Monroe wearing a black satin cotton diapered zipped dress with big ribbon in front. Black patent leather stilettos shoes.

All Laura Biagiotti Prices on request, see Directory.

Ph. C. Pinto

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