Throughout my entire musical life I have been interested in performing New Music. My first real venture into this world was when I commissioned a piece for solo cello for a recital I gave when I was 19. After that, there was no looking back for me and subsequently I have been lucky enough to perform many new solo and ensemble compositions, together with groups such as the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, the Ensemble "L'art pour l'art" (which explores the cutting edge of experimental music) and especially with Berlin-based Australian pianist Philip Mayers.

At some point I was inspired to take up the Baroque cello and I especially enjoy the juxtaposition of Old and New in a programme. In 2007, I founded the Sheridan Ensemble, one of whose aims is to put contrasting compositions side by side and encourage the listener to hear things in a fresh way. We often present programmes where pieces from differing eras and genres flow seamlessly from one into the other. Whether you mix Bartók with music from the 14th Century or Purcell with Radiohead and Led Zeppelin, I firmly believe that good music will be able to stand on its own feet, even in the most surprising contexts.

It was a lucky day when a mutual friend introduced me to the jazz vibraphonist Oli Bott. Since then, Oli and I have been performing as a duo. Our repertoire reaches out over about seven centuries and also includes improvisation. I think I can safely say that we have come across a pretty amazing sound world in the combination of these two instruments and ours is a never-ending journey of musical discovery.

Concerning my musical education: I won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London (where my teachers were Florence Hooton and David Strange) when I was 16. After graduating with Honours four years later, I moved to Berlin to study with Wolfgang Boettcher, whom I count as one of my most important influences. Another important time for me was the two-year period I spent as a student at the Orchestral Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker. I also cannot write about myself without mentioning my father, conductor John Carewe, whose immense knowledge of what I consider to be the essence of music has had an immeasurable impact on me since my early childhood.