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London-based cellist Victoria Simonsen enjoys a varied musical life that incorporates solo, chamber music and orchestral work as well as recording film and television soundtracks. She also loves teaching and is a Professor of Cello at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). In 2015 she was appointed cellist of the Rautio Piano Trio and together they have released three albums on Resonus Classics, with plans to complete a cycle of Beethoven trios on period instruments. 

A passionate chamber musician, Victoria has performed at festivals such as the IMS Prussia Cove, Manchester International, Kronberg Germany, Banff Canada, Chamber Music New Zealand and for six years she enjoyed notable success in the early Barbirolli String Quartet. Her chamber music performances have been broadcast on radio in UK, Germany and New Zealand and concerts have included Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and the BBC Proms.

Victoria’s solo performances have included Queen Elizabeth Hall, BBC Proms Composer Portrait, Leeds International Recital Series and Victoria Concert Hall Singapore. Whilst a student, her awards included winning the Royal Over-Seas League Strings Competition, NZ Young Musician of the Year, Johann-Andreas-Stein-Wettbewerb, Leonard Rose Prize, Barbirolli Cello Prize, the prestigious Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, an ESU Scholarship, as well as being selected as a Countess of Munster Recital Soloist and for a Purcell Room Solo Debut (Park Lane Group).

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Victoria is former Principal Cellist with Opera North and has appeared as Guest Principal with many of the UK’s major orchestras, including the Royal Opera House, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. From 2008 until 2017 she was a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra and toured throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America with some of the world's finest conductors and soloists. She gave frequent workshops and coaching as part of the Philharmonia's education department.

Victoria grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, and her early love of music was encouraged by her concert-pianist mother. In 2002, after completing her studies with James Tennant at the University of Auckland and having won the NZ Young Musician of the Year and performed concertos with all the major symphony orchestras, Victoria commenced her postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, England, supported generously by Creative NZ and the Patricia Pratt Scholarship. Victoria studied cello with Ralph Kirshbaum and Karine Georgian and composition with Anthony Gilbert, culminating with winning the Gold Medal and the Audience Prize. She later continued her studies as a string quartet fellow at the Guildhall School of Music and with Julius Berger at the Leopold-Mozart-Zentrum der Universität Augsburg in Germany. Victoria gained further inspiration through masterclasses with renowned cellists such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Anner Bylsma, Bernard Greenhouse, Gary Hoffman, Luis Claret, Philippe Muller, Johannes Goritzki, Colin Carr, Raphael Wallfisch and Jens Peter Maintz. 

Victoria is exceptionally grateful to Miss Barbara Hilda Knapton, Mrs Kathleen Mary Cavill and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust for enabling her to acquire a cello by Giovanni Grancino, Milan 1687.