Welcome to Salvador Bolón, our new member of the Cello section

Born in Valencia, Salvador began playing the cello at the age of eight under the guidance of Salvador Novejarque. He later studied under Ivan Monighetti and Sol Gabetta at the Hochschule für Musik Basel and the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofia. Before coming to the LSO, he served as the Principal Cello of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana.

Read Salvador’s full biography

When did you first start playing the cello?

I started playing the cello at the age of eight. I come from a family of musicians, and my parents always loved the sound of the cello. I am really thankful to them for choosing it for me and for all the support they have always given me. I remember during my first year in the conservatory, Mstislav Rostropovich came to Valencia to give a masterclass, and my cello teacher, Salvador Novejarque, brought me with him. Everything he said and played made a great impression on me, even though I was just a nine-year-old boy. I decided to try to do what he was saying and explaining that day ever since. I am still trying to do it …

Do you have any cello heroes?

I have always been a huge fan of Mstislav Rostropovich and Yo-Yo Ma. They are references for my instrument, and they have also transcended the cello in many ways, both musically and through their commitment to society, which I consider very important.

What are you most looking forward to in the LSO’s 2024/25 season?

I am really excited about all the tours and repertoire planned. If I were to choose, I am very excited about the programmes with Sir Antonio Pappano, especially La rondine and Mahler 1. I am also excited to play Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring with Klaus Mäkelä, and I think it will be very special for me to play in Spain, my home country, with the LSO and Dudamel. As a trialist, I was very lucky to travel to Japan and Korea with the LSO, and I am very much looking forward to going back, since I have such lovely memories. I am very happy that this will also be my first tour as a member of the LSO.

If you could go back, what advice would you give your younger self as an aspiring musician?

Enjoy the journey and be patient.

Are there any other interesting things about you we should know?

I love to travel with my partner and spend time with her and my family, especially with my niece and nephew. I also like to ride my bike in any place there is a mountain to climb.

In Valencia, there is a big tradition of wind bands, and their system is deeply ingrained in society. Every city, village and town has its own band, and everybody plays a wind instrument, so I also played the trombone.

I love to cook whenever I can, and my friends love it – at least that’s what they say!

If you had to pick, what is your favourite piece of orchestral music?

I would choose Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. I grew up listening to recordings of this piece at home, and I find it like a universe in itself.

What piece of orchestral music would you recommend to someone who has never heard an orchestra before, and why?

I would suggest Felix Mendelssohn’s Fourth Symphony, ‘Italian’, because it is a piece with great rhythm, contrasts, and fresh themes that connect with the audience from the first note.

Does your instrument have an interesting story or history behind it?

I am very lucky to play a beautiful instrument, and looking back, it seems like everything was leading me to London. I play a great British instrument, made in 1790 by Benjammin Banks, and I acquired it in London in 2015, long before I started playing with the LSO. I am really happy my instrument is coming ‘back home’ to London.