Bartholomew LaFollette has a rich and varied career as an international solo cellist and chamber musician. He made his BBC Philharmonic debut (on 6 hours notice) with a live radio broadcast of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. Other concerto highlights include performances of Dvořák's Cello Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Walton and Elgar Cello Concertos in the Barbican Hall, as well as appearing as soloist with the City of London Sinfonia. He has also performed Brahms’s Double Concerto with Daniel Stabrawa and the Poznań Philharmonic, Elgar's Cello Concerto at the Sibelius International Music Festival in Helsinki and Shostakovich’s 1st Concerto with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra.



His latest disc of mid-century Soviet masterworks by Kabalevsky, Terterian and Prokofiev with celebrated pianist Caroline Palmer will be released on Chandos in August 2027. This follows their debut CD of Brahms’s Sonatas for Cello and Four Serious Songs which was released to critical acclaim on the Champs Hill label.


In great demand as a chamber musician, he has frequently worked with the award-winning Doric String Quartet with whom he recorded Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s String Sextet for Chandos. He also joined the Danish String Quartet on tour across the USA and Canada, as well as the Sitkovetsky Trio on tour throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Bartholomew was appointed as Artist in Residence at London’s Conway Hall for the 2025-26 Season. He has also been invited to join Anthony Marwood’s Peasmarsh Festival, Lars Vogt’s Spannungen Festival in Heimbach, Benjamin Grosvernor and Hyeyoon Park’s Bromley and Beckenham International Music Festival, Open Chamber Music: Prussia Cove on multiple occasions (including the distinguished OCM Tour) and many others. In these settings he has also collaborated with artists including Steven Isserlis, Christian Tetzlaff, Ferenc Rados, Benjamin Grosvenor, Hyeyoon Park, András Keller, Philippe Graffin, Jennifer Stumm, Alina Ibragimova, Roman Simovic and Nicola Benedetti amongst others.


Bartholomew is Artistic Director of the Marryat Players Chamber Music Festival, now in its twelfth year, which takes place in Wimbledon Village and welcomes internationally renowned artists.



Bartholomew’s career was launched by YCAT (Young Classical Artists’ Trust), and among other accolades was awarded The Arts Club's and Decca Records’ inaugural Classical Music Award. Bartholomew was also the first recipient of the Irish Chamber Orchestra's prestigious Ardán Award.



Born in Philadelphia, Bartholomew LaFollette has lived in Britain since the age of 13. He trained at the Yehudi Menuhin School, and later the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which he received two first class degrees.

A dedicated educator, he has taught around the world on courses and festivals and at the age of twenty-six was appointed Professor of Cello at the Yehudi Menuhin School where he maintained an award-winning class for 10 years.