Filip Szkopek, cello

When did you join the National Symphony Orchestra?

March 4, 2024.

What do you enjoy most about being in the NSO?

I really enjoy performing great repertoire in such a friendly atmosphere.

Where did you study?

In Poland (Łódź and Wrocław) and Switzerland (Bern and Basel).

Why did you choose to play your instrument?

My father plays the cello so I followed in his footsteps!

Tell us your favourite NSO story/memory so far.

It would have to be playing Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with Maxim Vengerov shortly after I joined the NSO. Maxim was my musical idol growing up; it was a dream come true!

Which conductor are you most excited to work with this season?

It was the legendary Leonard Slatkin who conducted the masterpiece Brahms Symphony No. 3 in September. It was a fantastic evening of musical greatness.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing with the orchestra?

I enjoy going to the cinema, meeting friends and family, and playing badminton.

If you weren’t a musician, what would you most like to be?

I would probably be a computer programmer or go into filmmaking, which would be a real dream.

Do you have any pre-concert rituals or superstitions?

I love to have a nap before the concert; there is nothing better than it!

What is the best piece of advice you ever received – musical or general?

Anything’s easy if you know how to do it.

Do you have any secret talents?

I can recite all the football World Cup winners by memory.

If you could have dinner with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be, and why?

I would have to choose my family; they are the best people to have dinner with.