American cellist Raphael Bell enjoys a varied career as a chamber musician, teacher, festival director and orchestra member. He is currently principal of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic in Belgium, co-Artistic Director of La Loingtaine in Montigny-sur-Loing, France, and co-founder and co-Artistic Director of the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival. As a chamber musician he has performed at Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Salle Gaveau, Berlin Philharmonie, Köln Philharmonie, Luzerner Theater, Tokyo Suntory Hall, and Kyoto Concert Hall. He was part of the IMS Prussia Cove tour that won the Chamber Music Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society in London. Recent performances include concertos with the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Luft Ensemble, and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic. This past season he performed the Brahms Double Concerto on tour in Belgium with Philippe Herreweghe and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic. As a member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, he played in the Lucerne Festival Orchestra’s Mahler Symphony Cycle with Claudio Abbado. He has also performed with the Munich Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Raphael studied at The Juilliard School with Harvey Shapiro.