Doug Badger was born in Edinburgh where, at the age of 11, he began learning the cello with renowned Scottish teacher Eleanor “Kitty” Gregorson MBE. He later attended the Junior Department of theRoyalScottishAcademy of Music and Drama, before progressing to the University ofYork, where he attained a BA in Music.
In 1998 he moved toManchester to continue his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music with Jennifer Curtis and was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Performance in 2000.
Remaining inManchester, he is now enjoying an active professional career as a freelance cellist with ensembles and orchestras throughout the UK, including the BBC Philharmonic, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Welsh National Opera, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Opera North and Skipton Camerata.
He also appears regularly as a chamber musician and concerto soloist, including recent performances of Schubert’s String Quintet, Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, Haydn C major concerto, Beethoven Triple concerto and, early next year, Schumann concerto with Skipton Camerata.
When he’s not playing the cello, Doug is an avid chess player and enjoys swimming, yoga and going for walks with his dogs, activities which he counterbalances now and then with an enthusiastic interest in real ale. Doug plays a fine 19th century cello of unknown origin, generously bequeathed to him by Kitty Gregorson.