Kevin Downs, cello

Kevin Downs is an active chamber musician, solo recitalist, and teacher, and is currently the principal cellist of the Mercury Baroque Orchestra. His repertoire spans all the way from Bach to Saariaho, encompassing early music performed on period-specific instruments, the standard literature, and exciting new works as well. He has appeared in frequent recitals across North America and Europe, most recently in the Concertgebouw de Vereeniging in The Netherlands, and the Fondation des États-Unis in Paris. A special love for chamber music has led Mr. Downs to perform at many prestigious music festivals, including the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, the Perlman Music Program, and the Banff Center, among others. The 2012-2013 season included performances in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with ASKO | Schönberg, and in the Amsterdam Muziekgebouw as the soloist in Sofia Gubaidulina’s Am Rande des Abgrunds, under the baton of Reinbert de Leeuw. Mr. Downs has given many world premieres by living composers in the United States and Europe, and is the cellist of Vicennium Void, an ensemble dedicated to performing contemporary music and commissioning new works. Upcoming projects include recordings for release on new albums of different composers, as well as concerts in Washington, D.C., Bangkok, and Beijing.

Kevin holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, the New England Conservatory, and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and has studied with such distinguished teachers as Richard Aaron, Paul Katz, and Michel Strauss. He currently makes his home in Houston, Texas.