About me

Davina Shum is a New Zealand-born cellist, editor and writer based in London, UK. As a cellist, she is currently the chairholder for the West End production of My Neighbour Totoro (Gillian Lynne Theatre), having held the position at the world premiere preceding runs at the Barbican Theatre in 2022-23 and 2023-24. She has also held chairs in productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (Wyndham’s Theatre, 2023; Young Vic, 2022) and Spring Awakening (Almeida Theatre, 2021-22), as well as deputised on Your Lie in April (Harold Pinter Theatre, 2024) and Jerry’s Girls (Menier Chocolate Factory, 2024).

As a journalist, Davina has held the position of online editor for The Strad magazine since June 2021, a role which oversees all digital content on thestrad.com. She was the creator and host of the podcast As It Comes: Life from a musician’s point of view from 2019 to 2022, producing more than 50 episodes, accessed in over 70 countries. Davina was named as one of BBC Radio 3’s Next Generation Voices in 2019, subsequently working as a writer and speech contributor for the Time Travellers podcast.

Following orchestral training with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Sydney Sinfonia, Davina moved to the UK in 2013 to take up a position in Southbank Sinfonia (now Sinfonia Smith Square). From then, she embarked on a freelance career that saw her perform with orchestras including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Chineke! Orchestra, Paraorchestra, among others. She has performed and recorded with artists including Pete Tong and Heritage Orchestra, Becky Hill, Celeste, ABC, Tony Hadley and Trevor Horn.

Davina holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the University of Auckland School of Music where she studied with Ashley Brown and David Garner, and a Master of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under the tutelage of Susan Blake and Georg Pedersen.