Cellist Robert Ibell. Photo: Supplied
In a way, his career has gone full circle. He started his professional life as a teacher playing cello on the side, before becoming a full-time musician.
Now Robert Ibell is once again coaching school students as well as being a player.
And his work helping to judge, but more importantly coach, aspiring musicians in the annual NZCT Chamber Music Contest for secondary school students won him special recognition at the finals of this year's contest in Auckland.
Ibell is the recipient of the 2025 Marie Vandewart Memorial Award, which recognises outstanding service and commitment to chamber music through the Chamber Music Contest.
He spoke to RNZ Concert about the award and his work for the competition, much of it involving travel around the country listening to aspiring players and ensembles, helping them to tap into their inner musicians.
NZCT Chamber Music finalists 2022; a good number of them probably coached by Robert Ibell. Photo: Thomas Hamill
The work has been a natural fit for Ibell, whose first job was as a school teacher.
After a year of that, he decided to devote himself full time to the cello, although it was to take several more years of part-time study and numerous day jobs before Ibell achieved that goal.
Ibell spent many years playing with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra until his retirement six years ago, but chamber music is his deepest love and he continues to perform, most often as cellist with the Aroha String Quartet.
He's also one third of the Aurum Trio with the harpist Michelle Velvin and the flute player Barbara Hill.
He was in a chamber group himself when he took part in the NZCT Chamber Music contest as a student in Palmerston North some time back in the 20th century.
Leaving the NZSO also left Ibell with more time to coach students around Aotearoa, and while music making is his greatest love, teaching is still in the blood - both his parents were educators.
And he says the standard of playing among secondary music students has improved out of sight since he was a teenager.
