Christopher Graves

Christopher Graves is a cellist and bow maker. For ten years until 2022 he was the cellist of the Castalian String Quartet, with whom he played frequently at major music venues and festivals all over the world - Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Vienna, Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Aldeburgh Festival and many others, as well as extensive tours of the US. The quartet released critically acclaimed recordings including their album “Between Two Worlds” of Ades and Beethoven, which was given a double five-star review and named Album of the Month by BBC Music Magazine. They won a Royal Philharmonic society award, the Merito String Quartet Award, and a Borletti Buitoni Trust Fellowship, in addition to prizes at the Lyon and Banff international chamber music competitions, and were appointed Hans Keller String Quartet in Residence at Oxford University. Christopher has given masterclasses in chamber music at the Royal College of Music, Guildhall, Yehudi Menuhin School, Chethams, Birmingham Conservatoire, and several other institutions. 

Aside from his quartet activities, Christopher has performed widely as a chamber musician, recitalist and orchestral player. His cello teachers were Melissa Phelps and Johannes Goritzki.

Alongside his ongoing activities as a cellist, Christopher has in recent years become one of the UK’s most sought-after bow makers. His bows, made entirely by hand and informed by his first-hand knowledge of the demands of the string repertoire, are played by fine musicians around the world. He studied bow making with Gary Leahy in 2020.