* En anglais uniquement
Paul Watkins is a Welsh conductor and cellist. He studied cello with William Pleeth,
Melissa Phelps, and
Johannes Goritzki, and from 1990 to 1997 he was the principal cellist of the
BBC Symphony Orchestra. As a concerto soloist,
Watkins has performed with
Paavo Berglund,
Leonard Slatkin,
Sakari Oramo,
Gianandrea Noseda,
Mark Elder,
Richard Hickox,
Andris Nelsons,
Andrew Davis, and
Charles Mackerras. An enthusiastic chamber musician,
Watkins was a member of the
Nash Ensemble from 1997 to 2013, before joining the
Emerson Quartet. He has also collaborated with
Menahem Pressler,
Jaime Laredo,
Lars Vogt,
Christian Tetzlaff, and
Vadim Repin. Pursuing conducting,
Watkins was the winner of the 2002 Leeds Conductors' Competition, and he gave his first public performance as a conductor with the
London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006. He became the associate conductor of the
English Chamber Orchestra in 2007, and in 2009 he was promoted to music director. He is also the principal guest conductor of the
Ulster Orchestra.
Watkins has recorded for Nimbus, EtCetera Records, NMC, and Chandos.