Star cellist Philip Higham prepares to tour Scotland with the SCO

I think I always knew I was destined for music – it was easily the biggest thing in my life.” Cellist Philip Higham is pondering his musical beginnings as a child. And that intense focus on all things musical has continued into his adult life. He’s an accomplished soloist and chamber musician, an in-demand teacher and, since 2016, principal cellist of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. It’s as soloist and SCO player that he embarks on a four-stop tour across Scotland later this month, performing Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme with the orchestra in Stirling, Findhorn, Turriff and Forfar.