The Extreme Cellists

Clare Wallace has been playing the cello since she was 7. Having been brought up in Gloucester, she went on to study Modern Languages at Kings College, Cambridge.

Since then, she has worked in a variety of places, including a spell in Switzerland. Formerly a music administrator, she is now a German teacher at Sheffield High School.

Clare has a daughter who was previously at Westways Primary School, which is how the idea for the first sponsored event came about. The same daughter now sings in Sheffield Cathedral Choir, indicating a link with the second event also!

As well as being a cellist, Clare is also a singer. She was a member of the Cambridge Singers, who recorded many critically acclaimed CDs under their conductor John Rutter. She now sings regularly in Sheffield.

Clare is also an avid football fan. Although a childhood West Ham United supporter, she has become a keen Sheffield Wednesday fan since moving to Sheffield.

James Rees has been playing the cello since he was 8. Born and bred in Sheffield, he attended Birkdale School before going to study Theology at St John's College, Durham. He subsequently attained an MA in Theology from the same University.

In 2004 James married Zoe, and they have recently moved to Ely – a metropolis which stole their hearts thanks to the marvel that is Extreme Celling. He is a teacher of Religious Studies (or whatever it's called in the curriculum these days) at The King's School.

James is also a singer - with the exception of a four year gap when he was in Durham, and sang in Durham Cathedral Choir, he sang in Sheffield Cathedral Choir from 1989 to 2004, man and boy.

Due to the birthplace and loyalties of his father, James is also a fan of West Ham United.

Jeremy Dawson has been playing the cello since he was 11, having realised by then that he was no good at the violin. He was born in Sheffield, but subsequently moved to Leicestershire just prior to his third birthday, and attended Christ's Hospital school in Sussex as a boarder from the age of 11-18.

Jeremy also studied at Durham University (St Aidan's College), but his subject was Mathematics. He then did an MSc in Statistics at the University of Sheffield.

Jeremy is currently a statistician at Aston Business School in Birmingham, although he still lives in Sheffield. He also sings in Sheffield Cathedral Choir.

Jeremy's football allegiances lie firmly with Sheffield Wednesday, and his state of mind on the tour is bound to be more relaxed after a successful campaign against relegation! He is also a keen baseball fan, following the Houston Astros from a distance of about 4,500 miles.