Heather Bills, Cello

Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Heather travelled with the aid of a scholarship to the UK to undertake postgraduate studies at the RCM where she studied with Christopher Bunting and Amaryllis Fleming. The latter teacher inspired her love of Bach as she regularly performed the solo suites and played the fifth suite on her Amati 5-string cello. Heather has gone on in turn to inspire her students, one of whom, Rob Smith,  is now a leading gamba player based in the Netherlands. The co-principal ‘cellist in the Halle orchestra from 1983-1990, Heather moved to the Isle of Anglesey in ‘91, became a member of the chamber group Ensemble Cymru and principal ‘cellist of the Welsh Chamber Orchestra. She returned to Manchester in ’08 to take up a busy freelance and teaching career. She is an experienced continuo player, having performed in this role over the last four decades and especially loves working alongside her husband, the keyboard player Harvey Davies. She has worked extensively with recorder player John Turner and counter tenor James Bowman and performed Bach for festivals in the UK & France as well as her native Australia. She enjoys working with artists of other genre and has performed solo alongside baroque dancers and most recently in May ’19 before a performance by an Indian dance company at the Lowry, Salford. Heather plays a classical ‘cello by contemporary luthier Kai Thomas Roth.