Amy Jolly


Amy is a cellist and creator living in Manchester, UK. Amy is a PhD candidate at the Royal Academy of Music, supported by the Richard Stapley Foundation and RAM. Read more about The Intervening Cellist project here.

She runs improvisatory group Playdates with violinist Gemma Bass and mixed-media duo Bonjour Claude with composer Ellen Sargen. Bonjour Claude run triannual scratch nights for northern-based cross-genre artists at Levenshulme Old Library.

Amy has performed with Psappha, Riot Ensemble and UPROAR and has been involved with CoMA Manchester since its revival in 2020. She has played in the band for Hamilton and was in the original band for Mrs Doubtfire. Amy has performed as a principal player with BBC Philharmonic, Opera North and Birmingham Royal Ballet. In constant demand in a wide variety of settings, 2024 brings two EP recordings for Efpi Records; an appearance at Sheffield Jazz Festival; several BBC Proms dates and a repeat tour with accordionist Miloš Milivojević playing at venues such as the Royal Opera House, The Lowry and Howard Assembly Room. 

Amy has previously been a recipient of the Charles Hallé Award and the Dame Gillian Brown Scholarship, and has received support from the Royal Society of Musicians, Britten-Pears Foundation and Help Musicians UK. Amy is lucky enough to play on a William Forster cello from London, 1780 and a Joules Coq cello from Toulon, 1850.

Photos by Dan Wiebe