Alison McGillivray studied cello at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and at the Royal Academy of Music. Based in London since 1994, her career has focused on period instrument performance. She is the principal cellist with the English Concert and The Early Opera Company, and plays viola da gamba with the viol consort Concordia and Ricordo. With the Academy of Ancient Music, Alison has performed concertos by C P E Bach, Haydn and Vivaldi. She is frequently heard on Radio 3 and Classic FM, and has a minor claim to fame as Paul Bettany’s cello coach for the film ‘Master and Commander’. Alison teaches baroque cello at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.