Ceridwen McCooey is an Australian cellist and composer based in Naarm (Melbourne). McCooey’s journey with her beloved cello began at age nine, when she was told she was too small for double bass. It became a fortunate sentence, paving the way for various successes early on: selection for the Melbourne Recital Centre’s three year scholarship program Accelerando, three invitations to perform at the VCE Season of Excellence, and the Kate Flowers Memorial Scholarship award through the university of Melbourne. Her love of improvisation and experimentation earned her 1st place in the Allan Zavod Performer’s Award when she performed an original composition for cello and looper; the work in question, The Conference of the Birds, is now being released through Rhodium as her debut LP. Recently, McCooey was commissioned by the Arts Centre Melbourne to write a work as part of their emerging composers program: 5x5x5 Memory 2020. She hopes to continue her studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in her Honours year and is also looking into a masters in composition abroad.