Cellist Rohan de Saram has Died, Aged 85

Rohan de Saram studied with Pablo Casals and was a member of the acclaimed Arditti Quartet

Born in 1939, Rohan de Saram began learning cello at age 11 with Gaspar Cassado at Italy’s Academia Chigiana. At age 16, he started studying with Sir John Barbirolli and Pablo Casals, who said of him: “There are few of his generation that have such gifts.”

He appeared with many major orchestras worldwide and conductors including John Barbirolli, Adrian Boult, Colin Davis, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, and Malcolm Sargent. 

It was at the invitation of Dmitri Mitropoulos, that de Saram made his debut appearance in the U.S. with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

He had the opportunity to collaborate with renowned composers of the time such as Kodaly, Shostakovich, Poulenc, Ligeti, Xenakis, Boulez, Cage, Beriot, and Walton, and premiered many new works. Piatagorsky even presented him with a special bow that he often used for performances.

Additionally, de Saram was a member of the Arditti Quartet for over 20 years until 2005. During his tenure, the quartet was awarded the Siemens prize for services to music and a GRAMMY Award for their recording of works by Elliott Carter. 

In 2004, de Saram was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Peradeniya, and the following year, was awarded the Deshamaniya — the national honor of Sri Lanka.

“His musicianship and experience were profound, but what I remember most was how incredibly kind he was and genuinely curious and interested in the people around him, regardless of who they were or what they might have to offer him,” violinist Andrew McIntosh posted on Facebook. “Those few days working with him were revelatory for me, getting to spend time with someone who provided a role model not only for what a life in music could look like, but also for how to be a person in the world — generous, sharing, graceful, focused, humble, hard-working, creative, curious, and kind.”

Our condolences to Mr. de Saram’s family, friends, and colleagues.