Cellist David Finckel enjoys a multifaceted international career as a recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral soloist, recording artist, educator, and arts leader. The first American student of Mstislav Rostropovich, he won both junior and senior divisions of the Philadelphia Orchestra competition, leading to two concerto appearances. In 1979, he joined the Emerson String Quartet, performing worldwide for 34 seasons and earning nine Grammy Awards and the Avery Fisher Prize. His quartet discography includes complete cycles of Beethoven, Shostakovich, and other major composers.
Finckel and pianist Wu Han, his wife and frequent duo partner, co-founded ArtistLed, classical music’s first artist-directed, internet-based label. It’s 20+ releases feature cello-piano staples and works written for them by leading composers, including Augusta Read Thomas, Pierre Jalbert, and Gabriela Lena Frank. His concerto recordings include the Dvořák and Harbison concertos.
As Artistic Co-Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and co-founder of Music@Menlo, he is a key figure in American chamber music. He oversees the Bowers Program for emerging artists and the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo. A committed educator, he teaches at the Juilliard School and Stony Brook University, and was a longtime teaching colleague of Isaac Stern.
Dedicated to mentoring and accessibility, he developed online resources for musicians and arts presenters at davidfinckelandwuhan.com/resource, and his acclaimed video series Cello Talks offers over 100 free lessons to a global audience. In 2012, Finckel and Wu Han were named Musical America’s Musicians of the Year.