Steven Isserlis' whole family was musical - his father plays the violin, his mother played the piano, and his two sisters play the violin and viola - so he took up the cello because he didn't want to get left out. He soon decided that playing the cello was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. These days, he travels all over the world, playing concerts to whoever wants to listen (and to a few who don't too) and making recordings. He studied in England, Scotland and America. In 1998, he was awarded a CBE, for 'services to music'; and in 2000, the city of Zwickau bestowed the Schumann Prize 2000 upon his curly head. He lives in London, with his wife and son, lots of cellos and a piano.