Sally started playing the cello aged 7, after her parents had refused to let her learn either the tuba or the harp. She was taught by Nick Milner throughout her school career, playing in a variety of local and regional ensembles. She attended Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith, where she was awarded the JP Dowell Prize for Music.
Sally studied Biochemistry at the University of York while maintaining her involvement in musical activities – so much so that several of her orchestral colleagues believed that she was a music student who didn’t attend many lectures. She went on to complete a PhD in Cell Biology at the University of Leeds, followed by post-doctoral work in Saskatoon, Canada, where she was principal cellist in the University of Saskatchewan Chamber Orchestra and a founder member of the Moriquendi String Quartet. On returning to the UK, Sally was principal cellist with the Northumberland Orchestra in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Sally now works as a clinical scientist at The Walton Centre, and has been principal cellist with the Cathedral Orchestra since 2013. Recent solo performances include Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos (with Mary Bowell), Zipoli’s Elevazione, and the basso continuo in Bach’s St John Passion. Sally plays a cello made by Jerome Thibouville-Lamy in 1906, and uses a bow made by Leo F. Byrne considerably more recently.