Nick Allen enjoys a varied career as a cellist and is in much demand as a chamber musician. He is a founder member of Modulus Quartet with whom he enjoys a busy schedule. The quartet specialize in performing original string quartet repertoire written in close collaboration with a number of international composers. The quartet explores new ways of presenting music, performing in unusual venues and incorporating visual arts and multi-media technology.
Away from the quartet, Nick performs and records regularly with work including solo cellist for Matthew Bourne’s production of Lord of the Flies, 4 arena tours of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, duo performances at New York jazz club Le Poisson Rouge and in Salzburg, and New London Orchestra, Royal Ballet Sinfonia and Cohen Ensemble. He is currently collaborating with several composers on works for solo cello and electronics. He also arranges music for cello ensemble and has written original compositions for string orchestra.
Nick is a committed educationalist, working with Newham Music Trust in East London, where he is director of their Bridging Sounds Orchestra – a unique initiative bringing together different musical communities, largely Roma and recently Bangladesh, in Newham through music. The ensemble has performed for National Festival of Music for Youth Schools Proms at the Royal Albert Hall; London City Hall; Water City Festival at Tower of London; Holocaust Memorial Day National Ceremony at Westminster Hall; International Mother Language Day online celebration at Bangladeshi High Commission; and they have recorded an album at Abbey Road Studios. Nick has given masterclasses at Junior Guildhall, London College of Music, and Leeds College of Music and works with Shipley Arts Festival String Academy in Sussex.
On stage, Nick has played the role of The Man with the Cello, performing music by Iancu Dumitrescu, for Atelier Theatre Studio’s production of Matei Visniec’s What Shall We Do With The Cello? for performances at the Vaults Festival, London; Bunker Theatre, London; Byline Festival, Sussex; International Festival of Contemporary Drama in Brasov, Romania; and International Festival of Satirical Theatre in Chisinau, Moldova.
