David Powell is sub principal cellist with the CBSO,  a position he has held under the music directorships of Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo and now Andris Nelsons .

He has played with many of the UK's leading symphony orchestras and has performed with Marcus Barcham Stevens in the Montpellier String Trio since 2001.

As a chamber musician he is featured regularly in the CBSO series Centre Stage and Cheltenham's Pittville Pump Room Sunday Showcase concerts.

He formed his cello and harp duo '51 Strings' in 2003 and has performed Beethoven's complete works for cello and piano in the Town Hall Cheltenham . A graduate of Oxford university, his teachers included David Strange and Jacqueline du Pre and he now teaches at Nottingham University.