Brinton Averil Smith, Cello

Critics have hailed cellist Brinton Averil Smith as a “virtuoso cellist with few equals,” describing him as “a proponent of old-school string playing such as that of Piatigorsky and Heifetz.” Reviewing his recent live recording of the revival of Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Cello Concerto, BBC Music magazine wrote, “his is a cast iron technique of verve and refinement put entirely at the service of the music. The artistry on display here is breathtaking...” His debut recording of Miklós Rózsa’s Concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra won similar international acclaim, with Gramophone praising Smith as a “hugely eloquent, impassioned soloist,” while the American Record Guide praised his recording of chamber music of Fauré with Gil Shaham as “stunningly beautiful.”

Mr. Smith's engagements have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and recital and concerto appearances both internationally and throughout the United States. His broadcast performances include CBS's Sunday Morning and regular appearances on NPR’s Performance Today and SymphonyCast, while his live performances have been viewed over one million times on YouTube. As a chamber musician, Smith has collaborated with cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Lynn Harrell, pianists Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Jeffrey Kahane and Kirill Gerstein, violinists Gil Shaham, James Ehnes, Cho-Liang Lin, and Sarah Chang, and members of the Guarneri, Emerson, Juilliard, Cleveland, and Berg quartets. Previously a member of the New York Philharmonic, and the principal cellist of the San Diego and Fort Worth symphonies, Mr. Smith has been the principal cellist of the Houston Symphony since 2005.