Gerard Flotats, cello

Catalan cellist Gerard Flotats is a prizewinner of the Royal Over-Seas League, Primer Palau and ACIMC competitions and performs regularly across Europe and America. Based in London, he has appeared at Wigmore Hall, the Palau de la Música Catalana, Bridgewater Hall and the Pierre Boulez Saal, and has been featured on BBC Radio 3 and Catalunya Música. His repertoire spans Baroque works on historical instruments to contemporary music with electronics, an approach that shapes both his programming and his collaborations. Gerard is a UK “Associate Artist” and has been selected for the Tillett Trust Debut, Countess of Munster Recital, JMUS Spain, and PDGYA schemes. Festival appearances include the Edinburgh International Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, the Kronberg Cello Festival, Yellow Barn, IMS Prussia Cove, and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.

A committed chamber musician, Gerard is a member of the “BBC New Generation Artists” Kleio Quartet. Winners of the Carl Nielsen International Competition, the group is quickly establishing itself as an internationally acclaimed quartet with performances planned around Europe, Asia and Australia. The quartet has collaborated with artists such as Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Gustavo Dudamel, Makoto Ozone and Nicola Benedetti. Outside the quartet, he has collaborated with artists such as Seth Knopp, Daniel Hope, Anthony Marwood, Krzysztof Chorzelski, Jens Peter Maintz, Guy Johnston, and the Doric Quartet. As a soloist, he has performed a wide range of concerto repertoire, including works by Dvořák, Haydn, Elgar and Saint-Saëns, with orchestras including the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, OCCI, and the Cornwall Symphony Orchestra.

Gerard recently graduated with an Artist Diploma from the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, where he studied with Professor Frans Helmerson, with whom he continues to work at the Accademia Stauffer in Cremona, Italy. He previously graduated with honours in both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, studying with Hannah Roberts at the Royal Academy of Music. There, he won various prizes in both solo and chamber settings, including the Homi Kanga Award for the best strings final recital, the Regency Award, the Duo Prize, and the Craxton Prize. At the Academy, he also studied Baroque cello with Andrew Skidmore and chamber music with John Myerscough. He is indebted to many esteemed cellists for their guidance, especially his previous mentors Richard May and Xavier Roig. Gerard has worked with renowned cellists such as Steven Isserlis, Mischa Maisky, Ralph Kirshbaum, Miklós Perényi, Laurence Lesser, Jens Peter Maintz, Steven Doane, Gary Hoffman, and Natasha Brofsky.

Through innovative performances, Gerard aims to make classical music more relevant and resonant for today’s audiences. He is passionate about showcasing lesser-known pieces and collaborates with composers to introduce contemporary music to new listeners.

Gerard plays on an Amati cello from the 1680s.