| Biography | Ulrich Heinen was born in Ittenbach near Bonn in Germany. He studied at the Cologne Conservatoire under Siegfried Palm and at the Juilliard School of Music in New York with Leonard Rose. He won several national and international competitions: 1st prize of the Cello Competition of all German Music Colleges in Frankfurt, Rostropovich Competition in La Rochelle (France) and Vittorio Gui Competition in Florence (Italy). After graduating from Juilliard he took up the position of principal cello with the Radio Orchestra Saarbrücken, Germany and in the same year became member of the Czapary String Trio, earning an outstanding reputation for the interpretation of Mozart and Schubert.
In 1984 Ulrich Heinen settled in England, at Sir Simon Rattles invitation to become principal cellist and section leader of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. In 1987 he co-founded the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG), which subsequently became one of Britains most important ensembles for contemporary music. He has appeared with BCMG in many festivals in Britain and abroad, both as member of the ensemble and as soloist. He has recorded Mark Anthony Turnages Kai, which was written for him, for EMI and Bachs Cello Suites together with cello solo pieces by Howard Skempton, Gerald Barry, Simon Holt, Bernd Alois Zimmermann and Hans Werner Henze. |