Scottish cellist Hugh Mackay is lauded as a deeply expressive and intelligent recitalist, soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader, recognised for performances that combine strong narrative programming with direct, communicative playing. He has performed in major European venues, including Wigmore Hall, the Elbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Dortmund, and the Palace of Versailles. He is increasingly sought after for projects that pair core repertoire with contemporary music in thoughtfully curated programmes.

A central focus of Hugh’s recent work has been his duo partnership with Junyan Chen, with whom he has presented recital programmes across the UK and Europe. In 2024, the duo undertook an extended recital tour in Scotland, performing programmes that paired Shostakovich, Debussy and Rachmaninoff with contemporary sonatas by Sally Beamish and Fazıl Say, later recording Say’s sonata Four Cities. Together, they made their recital debut at Bridgewater Hall in 2023.

Hugh is regularly invited to international chamber music festivals and series, performing at the Open Chamber Music seminars at IMS Prussia Cove, Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, West Wycombe Chamber Music Festival, NUME Festival, and the Schiermonnikoog Festival, where he was awarded the Audience Prize and subsequently re-invited. He has collaborated with artists such as Lawrence Power, Marc Bouchkov, Boris Kusnezow, Charlotte Spruit, and members of the Doric String Quartet, and is currently a chamber music scholar at Villa Musica Landesstiftung in Germany, performing alongside world-leading musicians and emerging artists. He is a founding member of the piano quartet Ensemble Jackalope, Young Artists in Residence at Britten-Pears Arts in 2026.