Cellist

Margit Zwan

Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
(4.9)Read all 25 reviews
Watch
Booking protection
Secure online payments
Free 48hr cancellations
Support available Mon-Sun
Like Margit?
Watch & Listen
Watch
Listen

About Margit

Solo cello music to add a gorgeous classical sound to your special event. Amplification provided if required. All genres of music.
Cellist
Manchester
Public liability insurance of £10 million
Verified profile

From my base in the northwest I travel all over the UK, performing different styles of music on the cello. I'm highly versatile and have much performing experience, be it in the recording studio, concert hall, playing at weddings/events, or teaching. Recent jobs have involved cello coaching (BBC), theatre (New Vic) and working with charities that promote music to nourish the soul (Lime Arts; Music in Hospitals and Care). Variety is the spice of life, so I always jump at the chance to record with bands and go on tour! Artists I've worked with include Elbow, Cinematic Orchestra, Emeli Sande, I Am Kloot, Dutch Uncles, Richard Hawley, The Maccabees, Beth Orton, Roy Wood, The Coral. These performances have taken place on radio and TV and in beautiful venues such as Glastonbury Festival, the Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium and Abbey Road Studios. Please drop me a line if you want to discuss your ideas and requirements. Margi x

Encore badges
Saved the day!
Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice
Top 10 booked musician of 2022
Member of the Encore community forum
6th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 6 years
10 gigs
Experienced: 10 bookings through Encore
Musicianship
Genres:
Christmas, Contemporary Christian, Military, Traditional church music, Classical, Baroque, Classical crossover, Contemporary classical, Early music, Fanfare, Film / TV music, Medieval music, Musical theatre, Opera, Renaissance, Electronic, Ambient, Breakbeat, EDM, House, 1920s era music, 1930s era music, 1940s era music, 1950s era music, 1960s era music, 1970s era music, 1980s era music, 1990s era music, Folk, Traditional Irish folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Welsh folk, Traditional English folk, Jazz, Blues, Cabaret, Dixieland, Gypsy jazz, Jazz fusion, Latin jazz, Modern jazz, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Ragtime, Swing, Barbershop, Gospel, Avant garde, Easy listening, Experimental, Light music, Marching, Noise music, Originals, Pop, Acoustic, Ambient pop, Americana, Covers, Disco, Funk, Funk rock, Hip Hop, Karaoke, Motown, R&B, Soul, Top 40, Tribute, Vintage, Rock, Alternative rock, Britpop, Classic rock, Glam rock, Hard rock, Hardcore, Heavy metal, Indie, Pop rock, Post rock, Power rock, Progressive rock, Punk rock, Rock 'n' Roll, Synth rock, World music, African music, Afrobeat, Arabic, Argentinian, Armenian, Asian music, Australian music, Balkan, Bavarian oompah, Bollywood, Bossa nova, Brazilian music, Calypso, Caribbean music, Choro, Cuban music, Cumbia, Flamenco, French music, German music, Greek music, Hawaiian music, Indian music, Italian music, Jewish music, Klezmer, Latin, Mariachi, Merengue, Polish music, Polka, Polynesian music, Reggae, Russian music, Salsa, Samba, Scottish music, Ska, Skiffle, Spanish music, Tango
See all genres
Instruments:
See all instruments
Event types:
Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve
See all event types
Other skills:
Arranger, Actor, Fluent sight-reader, Instrumental teaching, Composer, Fluent improviser
See all skills

Margit's Song list

Please note that this list is just an indication of the music I play, and which I know works for solo cello without a backing track. It’s impossible to list every single piece due to the sheer number of lovely melodies in the world!
You can discuss special requests with me – I can arrange most pieces for solo cello. Sometimes there is a small arrangement/purchase fee which would always be discussed beforehand.
Classical
Suite for solo cello no. 1 in G major - J.S. Bach
Suite for solo cello no. 2 in D minor - J.S. Bach
Suite for solo cello no. 3 in C major - J.S. Bach
Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major– J.S. Bach
Air – water Music – Handel
Après un Reve – Fauré
Ave Maria - Bach-Gounod
Ave Maria - Schubert
Barcarole - Offenbach
Berceuse from “Jocelyn” - Godard
Canon in D - Pachelbel
Elegie – Fauré
Elegie – Massenet
Gabriel’s Oboe – Morricone
Gymnopédie 1 – Eric Satie
Habanera from “Carmen” – Bizet
Hornpipe - Handel
Humoresque - Dvorak
Intermezzo Sinfonica from “Cavalleria Rusticana” - Mascagni
Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring - J.S. Bach
La Réjouissance – Firework Suite - Handel
Largo from “Winter” (Four seasons) – Vivaldi
Méditation – Jules Massenet
Melody in F - Rubinstein
Minuet in G – Beethoven
Musetta’s Waltz - Puccini
Non so Piu – Mozart
O Mio Babbino Caro Classical
Suite for solo cello no. 1 in G major - J.S. Bach
Suite for solo cello no. 2 in D minor - J.S. Bach
Suite for solo cello no. 3 in C major - J.S. Bach
Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major– J.S. Bach
Air – water Music – Handel
Après un Reve – Fauré
Ave Maria - Bach-Gounod
Ave Maria - Schubert
Barcarole - Offenbach
Berceuse from “Jocelyn” - Godard
Canon in D - Pachelbel
Elegie – Fauré
Elegie – Massenet
Gabriel’s Oboe – Morricone
Gymnopédie 1 – Eric Satie
Habanera from “Carmen” – Bizet
Hornpipe - Handel
Humoresque - Dvorak
Intermezzo Sinfonica from “Cavalleria Rusticana” - Mascagni
Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring - J.S. Bach
La Réjouissance – Firework Suite - Handel
Largo from “Winter” (Four seasons) – Vivaldi
Méditation – Jules Massenet
Melody in F - Rubinstein
Minuet in G – Beethoven
Musetta’s Waltz - Puccini
Non so Piu – Mozart
O Mio Babbino Caro - Puccini
On Wings of Song – Mendelssohn
Pachelbel’s Canon in D
Pavane – Fauré
Prayer (from Jewish Life) - Bloch
Salut d’Amour – Elgar
Serenade – Poulenc
Sicilienne - Von Paradis
Sonata Boni, Pietro
Sonata in E minor - Brahms
Song Without Words - Mendelssohn
The Swan - Saint-Saëns
To A Wild Rose - MacDowell
Träumerei – Schumann
Tumpet tune - Purcell
Un Bel Di Vedremo (Madame Butterfly) – Puccini
Voi Che Sapete –Mozart
Waltz Nr 2 - Shostakovich
Wedding March – Wagner
Wedding March – Mendelssohn
Jazz
A Couple of Swells
A Fine Romance
As Time Goes By
Autumn Leaves
Basin Street Blues
Bess you Is My Woman Now
Can’t Help lovin’ that man
Cheek to cheek
Come Fly With Me
Don’t sit under the Apple tree
Falling In Love Again – Marlene Dietrich (F. Hollander)
Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue
Fly Me To the Moon
Georgia
Happy Talk
I Get A Kick Out Of You
I got Plenty o’ nuttin’
It Don’t Mean A Thing
La Vie en Rose - Piaf, Edith
La Vie En Rose – Louiguy
Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off
Love and Marriage
Love Me Or Leave Me
Lullaby of Birdland
Mad About The Boy
Makin’ Whoopee
Manhattan
Mister Sandman
Misty
Moon River
Moon River – Mercer/Mancini
My Funny Valentine
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Some Day my Prince Will Come
Someone to watch over me
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Spread A Little Happiness
Star Dust
Summertime
Thanks for The Memory – Robin/Rainger
That Old Devil Called Love
The Lady Is a Tramp
They Can’t Take That Away From Me
What’ll I Do?
You’ll Never Walk Alone – Rodgers/Hammerstein
Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart
Popular
A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay
All About you - McFly
All I Have To Do Is Dream – Everley Brothers
All My Loving - The Beatles
All of Me – John Legend
All You Need Is Love - The Beatles
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python
Always On My Mind - Elvis
American Pie – Don McLean
Angels – Robbie Williams
Annie’s Song – John Denver
At Last – Etta James
Baby It’s Cold Outside – Loesser
Bad Guy – Billie Eilish
Beautiful Day – U2
Believer – Imagine Dragons
Best Day of My Life – American Authors
Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
Blackbird - The Beatles
Blue Suede Shoes – Elvis Presley
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Paul Simon
Budapest – George Ezra
Can You Feel the Love Tonight? – Lion King
Can’t Buy Me Love – Beatles
Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
Candle in the Wind - Elton John
Careless Whisper – George Michael/Andrew Ridgeley
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Clocks – Coldplay
Close To You - Carpenters (Bacharach/David)
Crazy In Love – Beyonce
Crazy Little thing called love – Queen
Don’t Look Back In Anger – Oasis
Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
Endless Love – Lionel Richie
Eternal Flame - Bangles
Every Breath You Take – Sting
Everything I Do – Bryan Adams
Fields of Gold – Sting
From This Moment – Shania Twain
Game Of Thrones theme
Girl From Ipanema - Jobim/Gimble/de Moraes
God Only Knows – Beach Boys
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton john
Groovy Kind of Love – Toni Wine
Grounds For Divorce - Elbow
Halo – Beyonce
Happy –Pharrell Williams
Havana – Cabello
Have I Told You Lately? – Van Morrison
Heaven Is A Place On Earth – Belinda Carlisle
Here comes the sun - The Beatles
Hey Jude – Beatles
How Deep Is Your Love? - BeeGees
I Have Dream - ABBA
I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder
I Know Him So Well – Andersson/Ulvaeus
Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
I Say A Little Prayer – Aretha Franklin
I Say a Little Prayer - Hal/Bacharach
I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton/Whitney
I will always love you –Whitney/Dolly Parton
I Will Survive – Fekaris/Perren
I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons
Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
It Must Be Love - Madness
It’s All About You – McFly
Karma Chameleon – Boy George
Kiss From A Rose – Seal
La Isla Bonita - Madonna
Lazy Sunday Afternoon - Small Faces
Let It Be – Beatles
Levitating – Dua Lipa
Love is A Verb – John Mayer
Love Is All Around – Love Actually/Reg Presley
Make you feel my love – Adele
Mama Mia! – ABBA
Marry You – Bruno Mars
Michelle - The Beatles
Mister Sandman – Ballard
Mr Blue Sky - ELO
Mull of Kintyre – McCartney/Laine
My Heart Will Go on (“Titanic”) – Celine Dion
My Lighthouse – REND collective
No Woman, No Cry – Bob Marley/Ford
One Day Like This – Elbow
One Moment in Time – Whitney Houston
Our Last Summer – ABBA
Paradise – Coldplay
Perfect – Ed Sheeran
Rather Be – Clean Bandit
Roar – Katy Perry
Rock Around the Clock – Freedman
Secrets – One Republic
Shake it Off – Taylor Swift
She – Charles Aznavour
She Loves You - The Beatles
She’s the one – Wallinger
Shotgun – George Ezra
Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi
Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
Stayin’Alive – The Bee Gees
Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
Sweet Dreams are made of this - Eurythmics
Take My Breath Away - Berlin
Tears In Heaven – Clapton
Thank You For the Music – ABBA
That’s Amore - Brooks/Warren
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper
Top of the World – Carpenters
Toxic – Britney Spears
Uninvited – Alanis Morrisette
Up Where We Belong
Vienna – Billy Joel
What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
What the World Needs Now - Carpenters (Bacharach/David)
Whatever -Oasis
When A Man Loves. A Woman – Lewis/Wright
When I’m 64 – Beatles
Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
With A Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles
With or without you – U2
Without You (“I can’t live, if living is without you…”) – Ham/Evans
Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
Yellow Submarine - The Beatles
You Are My Sunshine – Arthur Kent
You are the Wind Beneath My Wings
You’re My best friend – Queen
Your Song - Elton John
Folk/Traditional
All Through the Night
Amazing Grace
Arkansas Traveller
Arran Boat Song
Ashokan Farewell
Barbara Allen
Crawfish Waltz
Danny Boy
Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes (English Air)
Down By the Salley Gardens
The Drunken Sailor
Greensleeves
Hava Nagila
Hungarian folk songs – various
Isleburgh
Italian folk songs – various
The Last Rose of Summer
Loch Lomond
Londonderry Air (“Danny Boy”)
Morgan Magan
My Bonnie Lies over the ocean
Off to California
O Susanna
Polish Polka
Salley Gardens
Scarborough Fair
Steal Away
Steamboat Waltz
Swallowtail Jig
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Tanz, Tanz, Yidelech
Teddybears’ Picnic
Tree of Life
Film (see also “Disney”)
Alfie
A Million Dreams – The Greatest Showman
Annie – Tomorrow
Big Spender – Sweet Charity
Fawlty Towers – Theme tune
Fiddler on the Roof – If I were a rich man
Fiddler on the Roof – Sunrise, Sunset
For the love of a Princess – Braveheart
Game of Thrones - theme
Glasgow love theme (from film “Love Actually”) – Craig Armstrong
The Godfather Theme – Speak Softly Love
Harry Potter – Hedwig’s Theme
Imperial March – Star Wars (Darth Vader’s theme)
James Bond – Main theme
Jean de Florette theme
Jurassic Park - theme
Love is all around – Love Actually
Madagascar - theme
Mission Impossible – Main theme
Moon River – Breakfast at Tiffany’s
My Heart Will Go on (“Titanic”) – Celine Dion
Romeo & Juliette - Love theme
Schindler’s List – Main Theme
Somewhere over the Rainbow - The Wizard of Oz
The Eternal Vow – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Sound of Music – Do-re-mi
The Sound of Music – Edelweiss
Star Wars – Main theme
This is Me – Greatest Showman
Disney and Musicals
A Dream Is A Wish – Cinderella
Alice In Wonderland
All I Ask Of You - Phantom of the Opera
The Bare Necessities - The Jungle Book
Beauty and the Beast – Main Theme
Cabaret – Main Theme
Can you feel the love Tonight? Lion King
Chim chim Cheree - Mary Poppins
Consider yourself - Oliver!
Do You want to Build a Snowman? - Frozen
Edelweiss – The Sound of Music
Get me to the church on Time - My Fair Lady
How Far I’ll Go – Moana
Hushaby Mountain - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
I Dreamed a Dream – Les Miserables
I Just Can’t Wait to be King – Lion King
I Wanna Be Like You - The Jungle Book
Kiss the Girl - Little Mermaid
Let It Go - Frozen
Lonely Goatherd – Sound of Music
Memory – Cats
Music of the Night – Phantom of the Opera
Once Upon A Dream - Sleeping Beauty
Somewhere over the Rainbow - The Wizard of Oz
Up – Married Life (theme)
Valse d’Amour - Cinderella
When You Wish Upon A Star - Pinocchio
Where Is Love? - Oliver!
A Whole New World - Aladdin
You’ll be in my Heart – Tarzan
You’ve Got A Friend In Me – Toy Story
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah - Song of the South (Disney)
Christmas
All I want for Christmas
Away In a Manger
Coventry Carol
Deck the Halls
Ding Dong Merrily On High
Fairytale of New York
The First Nowell
Frosty the Snowman
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Good King Wenceslas
Hark! The Herald Angles Sing
The Holly and the Ivy
In Dulci jubilo
In the Bleak midwinter
I Saw Three Ships
It came upon the midnight clear
Jingle Bells
O Christmas Tree
O Come All Ye Faithful
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Once in Royal David’s City
Silent Night
We Three Kings of Orient Are
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
(…& many more…)
Please get in touch if your song is not on this list.
A small charge may apply for more obscure requests – this would always be agreed with you before I proceed to buy the music.
Customer questions

What do your clients love most about your performances?

I love liaising with my clients to create an entirely unique performance. I'm highly regarded for my professionalism and friendly, personable nature. If you proceed with a booking we would not just discuss the music but the overall "look" you require to make the musical side of your event exactly as you want it to be.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

My cello and I have been lucky to perform at some incredible venues in the UK, including The Ritz, Wembley Stadium, on TV and radio in the UK and Europe, with bands such as Elbow, Emeli Sande, The Cinematic Orchestra, Snow Patrol etc. I regularly perform at wedding venues in the UK, especially North West, as well as in schools, hospitals and theatres.

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

....er...that's a really hard question! I can't even begin to answer this.

What is the most high profile gig you've performed?

Glastonbury!! ... I aim to make every single performance as beautiful as possible. In my opinion it's as worthwhile to play on a stage to 25,000 people as it is in a small hospital ward or private dining room. I aim to make my performance as good as it can be!

Do you have different line-up options?

I perform solo cello, but love teaming up with my cellist and harpist friends. Please see "Cupid's Bow Cello Duo" and "Duo Bellatando" for these options.

What if my timings change after I've booked you?

I always try to be as flexible as possible for my clients to ensure a perfect experience! On some days during peak season I will have multiple bookings on one day. Usually I can be flexible, as long as this is clearly agreed in advance.

How much time do you need to set up?

I aim to arrive about one hour before the start of the booking, to ensure I'm warmed up and ready to play in good time.

Can I pick the pieces you play from the set list?

Yes, please see my repertoire list for the songs available. I love learning new pieces and broadening my repertoire, so please get in touch if there are any pieces not on the list that you would like me to play. I'll do my best to include them.

Do you bring all the equipment you need to perform?

Yes, I bring all my own equipment. All I require on the day is one chair without arms and a nearby socket. If this is problematic, or for performances in more remote locations I can bring a chair and batteries. To be discussed and agreed in advance.

Can you learn specific pieces before the event?

Definitely! For any pieces not on the list please get in touch. For more obscure pieces I charge a small fee to cover purchase, preparation and rehearsal of the music.
Margit
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
4.9 out of 5
21 verified reviews
Satisfaction
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
4.8
Professionalism
Full starFull starFull starFull starHalf star
4.7
Communication
Full starFull starFull starFull starHalf star
4.7
Punctuality
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0

Margit's Reviews

From Encore customers:

ER
Elaine R
5 months ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Excellent service.

Reply from Margit
5 months ago

Thank you so much Elaine 🎶

AC
Angela C
6 months ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Brilliant!

Reply from Margit
6 months ago

😊 Thank you!

RL
Rebecca L
8 months ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Live music for our ceremony was very important to us and we are so grateful Margit played some very special songs before and during our ceremony. Thank you Margit!

Reply from Margit
8 months ago

Thank you so much for having me! x

EW
Elaine W
8 months ago
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Absolutely fantastic. Marjit played at our wedding. She played all the music we had asked for and it was beautiful. Thankyou Marjit for helping to make our day perfect

Reply from Margit
8 months ago

I really enjoyed playing Scottish music for you, thank you for the great suggestions. x

Read all 11 reviews

From other customers:

LH
Lauren H
7 months ago, for a Wedding in Sheffield
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Thank you for playing for us on our big day, you were really amazing. I will definitely be recommending you to people getting married. Communication was fantastic and in both the church and reception it really made the atmosphere/mood an amazing one. Thank you!

DH
Daniel H
11 months ago, for a Funeral / Memorial service in Hutton View
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5

Margi was fantastic. She was professional & helpful in all our dealings and on the day played beautiful music that exceeded our expectations. We’re very grateful and would highly recommend her.

Read all 14 reviews