ABOUT
"Lucia is the muse of the piece, the partner, the object of desire, hope and regret; and she embroiders this role with virtuosic playing of the cello"
Verity Healey, Theatre Bubble
"Capellaro is outstanding. Her cello playing is utterly enthralling and there are some lovely touches to her
performance"
Views from the Gods
Lucia Capellaro completed her undergraduate degree at Birmingham Conservatoire in 2009 with a 1st class BMus (Hons), and in 2011 went on to study for her Masters at the Royal Academy of Music, where she received a Distinction with the prestigious DipRAM Award, under cellist Jonathan Manson. Based in the UK, she performs in Europe, China, the USA and South America with ensembles such as Dunedin Consort, English Touring Opera, Academy of Ancient Music, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Concerto Copenhagen, Ex Cathedra, Early Opera Company, Instruments of Time and Truth, La Serenissima and Hanover Band. As a soloist she has performed as part of the Utrecht Early Music Festival, and she is currently a Handel House Young Talent.
Alongside historical performance, Lucia is passionate about many other genres and performs regularly with jazz, folk and contemporary groups. She has been involved in a number of cross-disciplinary productions including ‘Where late the Sweet Birds Sang’ directed by Martin Parr at the Rose Theatre, ‘Noh Time like the Present’ with Noh theatre master Akira Matsui at LSO St Luke’s, ‘Calcutta’ directed by Katie De La Matter, ‘A Thousand Faces’ directed by Amina Khayyam, London Handel Festival's 'In the Realms of Sorrow', and Dunedin Consort's 'Sonata' project. In 2023 she directed her first fully immersive production, 'The Enchanted Snake', with storyteller Mara Menzies, musicians of Dunedin Consort, and a set created by artist, James Abell.
Lucia has an interest in 18th century folk music, performing and recording with Concerto Caledonia, the Twisted Twenty and Scots Baroque. She has also worked with contemporary artists including DJ Yoda, Eva Lazarus, Joel Culpepper, Swindle, and Meilyr Jones, and performs in the nine-piece jazz ensemble, the Sam Watts Band. Lucia is involved in collaborations with electroacoustic composer, Timothy Cooper, as part of Ensemble 1604. In 2020, ...shadows that in darkness dwell... was nominated for a Scottish Award for New Music and an Ivor Award. Ensemble 1604's debut album was released in 2023, which features a 14 minute piece for cello and electronics, Labyrinth. The full album can be heard HERE.
Lucia recently received a Creative Scotland Open Fund grant, to create her album, OMOW, which uses her skills as a performer and sound engineer to collaborate with talented musicians from across the globe, who specialise in a breadth of different genres. You can find out more about it on the OMOW website.
Lucia is a keen educator and has decades of experience teaching the cello, viola da gamba and bass guitar, at organisations such as Mountview Academy for Performing Arts and Douglas Academy. She has given guest workshops at Conservatoires, Universities, and music specialist schools across the UK. From 2014 to 2018 Lucia worked with the charity Future Talent to devise and deliver a three-year Arts Council funded Performance and Development programme, supporting talented young musicians from disadvantaged backgrounds. In this role she directed chamber music ensembles, gave mentoring and teaching sessions and founded the Future Talent Orchestra. She has taken Future Talent chamber music ensembles to perform at venues such as Buckingham Palace, Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival, and the Royal Northern College of Music.
Lucia is currently the Learning & Participation Manager at Dunedin Consort, where she delivers an annual programme of school workshops, relaxed performances, choral workshops, performance classes and clinics, open rehearsals, two young artist schemes, and other bespoke opportunities. In 2022 she spearheaded the international artist development scheme, Intrada, in collaboration with Concerto Copenhagen, B'Rock Orchestra, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century.