
Ceridwen McCooey
Ceridwen is a cellist and composer based in Naarm(Melbourne). She writes music that draws on the clarity of contemporary classical music and combines it with the freedom of improvisation. Her solo practice involves looping layers of cello to create strong narratives with character developments and emotional depth. Ceridwen has a “unique touch and handles her instrument like few people do.” (Mes Enceintes Font Défaut)
Ceridwen began writing for cello whilst attending the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School where she investigated the practice of improvisation in cello repertoire. During this time she was selected for the Melbourne Recital Centres’ three year scholarship program Accelerando, an opportunity Ceridwen feels shaped her love of contemporary music performance.
In 2019 she was awarded the Allan Zavod Performers award for her performance of an original composition for solo cello and looper called The Conference of the Birds. In 2020, Ceridwen was commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne to write a work as part of Memory: 5x5x5.
In 2021 Ceridwen’s composition was chosen for the Flinders Quartet’s Emerging Composers program.