search
Get Started
search

Best Living

Updated Daily
Filter by Tags

Rankings use category fit, feature coverage, pricing signals, public reception, and recency. Affiliate relationships do not affect scores.

0.0 - 10.0
Best 1 Natalia Gutman

Natalia Gutman is a highly respected cellist recognized for her distinctive performances of both classical and contemporary works. She has earned international acclaim through significant competitions like the 1967 ARD Competition. Her interpretations are particularly noted for their depth and emoti...

2 Miklós Perényi

Miklós Perényi is a prominent Hungarian cellist celebrated for his intensely personal and expressive performances. His approach emphasizes emotional depth and nuanced interpretation rather than technical virtuosity. He has garnered international acclaim through competitions like the Pablo Casals Int...

3 Jaap ter Linden

Jaap ter Linden is a Dutch cellist and viola da gamba player born in 1947 who is a prominent figure in the early music movement, known for his work with Musica Antiqua Köln.

4 Jean-Guihen Queyras

Jean-Guihen Queyras is a French cellist acclaimed for his diverse repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary music, serving as a prominent professor at the Stuttgart Music Academy.

5 Sheku Kanneh-Mason

British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason won the 2016 BBC Young Musician competition and gained worldwide fame performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.

6 Antonio Meneses

Brazilian cellist Antonio Meneses won the Gold Medal at the 1982 Tchaikovsky International Competition and notably served as the cellist of the Beaux Arts Trio from 1998 to 2009.

7 Steven Isserlis

British cellist Steven Isserlis is highly acclaimed for his diverse repertoire and historical scholarship, having received a CBE for his services to music in 1998.

8 Mischa Maisky

Latvian-born Israeli cellist Mischa Maisky is the only cellist to have studied with both Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky during his prominent international career.

9 Stjepan Hauser

Stjepan Hauser is a Croatian cellist known as a member of 2Cellos, an internationally famous duo that gained massive global popularity through their classical and pop crossover music.

10 Luka Šulić

Luka Šulić is a Slovenian-Croatian cellist who co-founded the renowned musical duo 2Cellos, achieving viral global fame for their energetic classical and pop crossover arrangements.

11 Gary Karr
Gary Karr

Gary Karr is an American classical musician celebrated as one of the world's leading solo double bassists, famously performing on the historic instrument once owned by Serge Koussevitzky.

12 Giovanni Sollima

Italian cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima is acclaimed for his genre-crossing works blending classical and Mediterranean folk influences, notably collaborating with filmmaker Peter Greenaway.

13 Truls Mørk

Norwegian cellist Truls Mørk achieved international acclaim by winning a major prize at the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition, becoming a globally recognized soloist until illness struck.

14 Wieland Kuijken

Wieland Kuijken is a Belgian musician born in 1938 who specialized in the viola da gamba and Baroque cello, becoming a leading figure in the 20th-century early music revival.

15 Zlatomir Fung

American cellist Zlatomir Fung achieved international acclaim by becoming the first American in four decades to win the gold medal at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition.

16 Kian Soltani

Iranian-Austrian cellist Kian Soltani gained international recognition by winning the 2013 International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition and subsequently signing with Deutsche Grammophon.

17 Pablo Ferrández

Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrández, a 2016 Emerging Artist ICMA winner, is recognized for his international solo career and performing on a 1694 Francesco Goffriller cello.

18 Mario Brunello

Italian cellist Mario Brunello gained international recognition after winning the prestigious Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Cello Competition in Moscow.

19 Shirley Trepel

Shirley Trepel is an American classical cellist who served as the principal cellist of the Houston Symphony for over three decades and taught at Rice University.

20 Raphael Wallfisch

Raphael Wallfisch is a British cellist who won the 1977 Gaspar Cassadó Competition, maintaining a highly prolific recording career and establishing himself as a leading international soloist.

21 Carter Brey

American cellist Carter Brey is notable for winning the 1981 Rostropovich Competition and serving as the principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic from 1996 until his retirement in 2022.

22 Edgar Moreau

French cellist Edgar Moreau gained international prominence by winning second prize at the 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition and later recording the complete Beethoven sonatas for the Erato label.

23 Alisa Weilerstein

American cellist Alisa Weilerstein, a recipient of the 2011 MacArthur Fellowship, is notable for her prodigious early talent and performances with major orchestras worldwide.

24 David Geringas

Lithuanian cellist David Geringas won the gold medal at the 1970 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and built a notable career as a conductor and pedagogue.

25 Hidemi Suzuki

Hidemi Suzuki is a Japanese Baroque cellist born in 1957 who gained international prominence as the principal cellist of the renowned Bach Collegium Japan ensemble.

26 Maria Kliegel

German cellist Maria Kliegel is celebrated for her extensive discography on the Naxos label and her influential teaching career at the Cologne University of Music.

27 Jian Wang
Jian Wang

Jian Wang is a Chinese cellist who achieved early fame in the 1979 documentary From Mao to Mozart and later built a major international solo career.

28 Johannes Moser

Johannes Moser is a German-Canadian cellist who achieved global recognition after winning the top prize at the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition, establishing a major international solo career.

29 Narek Hakhnazaryan

Narek Hakhnazaryan is an Armenian cellist who achieved global recognition by winning the Gold Medal at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition, launching his prominent solo career.

30 Joel Krosnick

Joel Krosnick was an American cellist who served for over four decades as a member of the renowned Juilliard String Quartet, influencing countless students at the Juilliard School.

Loading more...

Save to your list

Save your favorites and follow how their scores change over time.

Save favorites
Get updates
Compare scores

Already have an account? Sign in

Compare Items

See how they stack up against each other

Comparing
VS
Select 1 more item to compare