Sonia Hammond |

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Sonia Hammond currently lives near Hay-on-Wye. As a scholarship student at the Birmingham School of Music (now the Birmingham Conservatoire) she gained a BA first class Honours degree in Music together with a handful of diplomas, all with distinction. This was followed by postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music in London.

While still in Birmingham Sonia was invited to play for the Eurythmy School in Botton Village, North Yorkshire. Thus began an enduring association with Camphill Communities. Later as a freelance player in London she recorded and toured with Barb Jungr, Ennui, Philip Kane and Babysnakes in between busking in Covent Garden.

Since moving to the Welsh Borders in 2006 Sonia has given recitals with pianists Roger Nichols and the late James Joseph. She is the Castalia and Peregrine String Quartets’ cellist, and also Principal Cellist of both the Brecknock Sinfonia and St Woolos Players. She is also a key member of Radnor Improvisers. Previous improv work has included workshops in the Mayor’s office in Timbuktu and at Gwernyfedd High School.

Sonia recorded her first solo CD, Bach’s Suite No 1 for Solo Cello, in March 2014. She and Charlie Beresford recorded an album of improvisations the same year entitled “Science of Snow” which was released to good reviews and they played in Budapest and Vienna in 2015. For the next album, The Lightning Bell, they were joined by Carolyn Hume on piano and Judie Tzuke guested on a couple of tracks.

Since then three more albums of free improvisations have followed, Each Edge of the field, Circle Inside the Folds and in 2019 the new quartet What? was formed and the album of the same name released on bandcamp. In 2017 Sonia was invited to join the London Cello Orchestra and went to South Korea with 19 other cellists. Post pandemic performances have included work with Ahmed Mukhtar, Rod Paton, Deborah Rose and Tanya Walker alongside freelance orchestral and chamber music gigs.