Natalie Clein

Who is Natalie Clein?

Natalie Clein is a British cellist. Her mother is a professional violinist. Her sister is the actress Louisa Clein.

Clein started playing the cello at the age of six, and studied with Anna Shuttleworth and Alexander Baillie at the Royal College of Music where she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Scholarship. She has also studied with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna.

Clein came to prominence after winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 1994 with her performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto. She was the first British winner of the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians in Warsaw, playing the Shostakovich Sonata and Elgar's concerto. Her other awards include the Ingrid zu Solms Cultur Preis at the 2003 Kronberg Academie and the Classical BRIT Award for Young British Performer of 2005.

Clein made her concerto debut at The Proms in August 1997, performing the Haydn Cello Concerto in C major with Sir Roger Norrington and the National Youth Chamber Orchestra of Great Britain.

In 1999 she was invited as one of the first artists to join the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme.