Queensland Symphony Orchestra has appointed cellist Shuhei Lawson as its new Assistant Principal Cello.

Lawson graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium with a Bachelor of Music, studying with Hyung Suk Bae, before continuing his training at the Australian National Academy of Music with Howard Penny.

His other mentors have included Simon Cobcroft, Julian Smiles, Meta Wiess, Molly Kadarauch and Li-Wei Qin.

Shuhei Lawson. Photo courtesy Queensland Symphony Orchestra

His professional development has included participation in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy and Pacific Music Festival, where he worked alongside musicians from the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, Cleveland Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic.

In 2025, supported by the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, Lawson travelled to Japan, Switzerland and Germany for further study with cellists including Yoshika Masuda, Kurt Hess and Jan Ickert.

His orchestral engagements have included the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared as a guest cellist with the Australian String Quartet, performed alongside the Goldner and Orava String Quartets, toured nationally with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and spent two years as a tutti cellist with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

Lawson is also active in music education and community outreach, having tutored with the Adelaide Youth Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra National Music Camp.

When he’s not on the concert hall stage, you’ll find Lawson fishing, gardening and cooking.