Neil Johnstone
Born in 1963, the youngest son of the acclaimed piper and composer Duncan Johnstone, Neil began playing the ‘Cello at the age of eleven and went on to study at the Royal College of Music in London with Joan Dickson and privately with William Pleeth.
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After graduating he joined the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with whom he played for ten years, before moving back down to London where he worked as a session musician. Neil returned home to Scotland in 1998, where he took up teaching posts at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Glasgow University and is now based on the Isle of Lewis where he works as a freelance Cellist, teacher, composer & arranger.
Although classically trained, Neil has never strayed too far from his roots in folk music and has played and recorded alongside many of the leading figures in the traditional music world. He has also made a name for himself in recent years as a composer & arranger following on from the Pipes & Strings and Bruce 700 projects, details of which can be found on the projects page
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Neil plays on a cello custom made in 1991 by Terry Michael Borman (Salt Lake City, U.S.A)
Rhona Johnstone
Born in 1971 in Edinburgh, Rhona began the violin at the age of 7. At the age of 11 she started learning the oboe and by the end of her school education had achieved Grade 8 in both instruments.
On leaving school, Rhona completed 2 years of music study at Napier Poytechnic in Edinburgh before embarking on a degree course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama in Glasgow studying oboe with Stephen West (former oboe & Cor Anglais Royal Scottish National Orchestra) and Richard Weigall ( former Principal Oboe City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra). After graduating in 1994, Rhona took up a post as an Instrumental Woodwind Teacher with Strathclyde Regional Council, where she worked for 10 years, teaching the full range of woodwind instruments in Primary & Secondary schools in Dumbartonshire as well as coaching school and regional music groups.
Since moving to the Isle of Lewis in 2004 Rhona has worked on various music projects including the Western Isle Ceilidh Trail as well as managing projects for Willowcroft Music.