The Anglo-Persian cellist Leila Shirvani was born into a family of cellists in Rome 1992. She started studying the cello at the age of three with her father, Mike Shirvani. Aged just six she won the “S. Cecilia” competition in Naples and this success was followed by over 30 first prizes in national and international competitions. In 2003, aged 11, she was the youngest competitor invited to the "London Music Competition". Leila began her professional career at the age of twelve, when she was invited to close the "Rivoli Musica" concert season in Turin and since then she has held recitals and concerts as a soloist in Italy, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. She regularly performs with the pianist Marco Grisanti. Leila is currently involved in the creation of her "Eco-Academy" project, an eco-sustainable institution and artist residency immersed in the Sabina hills near Rome. She is often referred to a an "activist cellist” in Italy and regularly campaigns for women’s rights, environmental issues and against cruelty to animals.