GUILDHALL HARP DEPARTMENT NEWS 2015

The new academic year began with the great news that Zuzanna Olbrys won the harp place in the LPO Foyle Future Firsts award, and Rita Schindler has been made an Honorary Junior Fellow at the Birmingham Conservatoire, to assist Catherine White. Last term ended on a high with a two-day Masterclass and a Recital by Anneleen Lenaerts, Principal Harp of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The students loved her friendly, calm and modest approach, her formidable musicianship and her absolute mastery in playing. Also in the summer, Alex Rider successfully premiered Simon Holt’s strong new harp solo The Man In The Wind And The West Moon. The next solo commission in our series, by Robert Saxton, entitled Toccata, Passacaglia and Dance, will be premiered in summer 2015.

We have some great masterclasses this year: in December the legendary Spanish harpist Marisa Roblesvisited, in February we welcome Principal Harpist of the Berlin Philharmonic and international soloist Marie-Pierre Langlamet, and in June the wonderful Chantal Mathieu, who will also play a recital. In March we have an Erasmus week with Professor Helga Storck, a delightfully regular visitor to the Guildhall, and we are happy that Katherine Thomas, Associate Principal of Welsh National Opera, is our Visiting Professor this year, giving Masterclasses is March and May.

The harp department took delivery of two new harps recently, another Lyon & Healy Style 23, and a Salvi, to continue with the updating of all our harp stock.

There are many top-level opportunities for our harpists this year: our Orchestral Artistry course includes Verdi’s Force of Destiny and Wagner’s Meistersingers Overtures under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano, and also provides opportunities for harpists at LSO St Luke’s, playing Webern and Mahler. Other delights last term included Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique at the Barbican with 4 harps, plus works by Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Borodin, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Lutoslawski. The Ubu Ensemble included harp last term – a great chance to get to grips with contemporary music! This term we have Firebird and Rachmaninov’s Paganini Variations at the Barbican Hall; the Spring opera is Malcolm Arnold’s The Dancing Master, which has a starring harp part, and the Summer Opera is Henze’s Phaedra, again with harp.

The first-year students are again enjoying our‘Move Well, Play Better’ courses, using Body Mapping and Alexander Technique to make sure that their playing is based on good use of the body.

OPEN EVENTS SUMMER 2015

All events take place at the

Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Silk Street, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DT,

or in Milton Court, also in Silk Street, unless otherwise stated.

Email for details or phone 07854 871440 to check events.

30 April7.00pm Holywell Music Showcase Concert, 58 Hopton Street, London SE1 9JH

Solos and chamber music by Grandjany, Hindemith, Walter-Kuhne, Godefroid, Glinka, Tournier, Fauré, Donizetti, Rossini and Helena Ricci

5 May9.30am-6.00pm Visiting Professor Masterclass in 150, with Katherine Thomas

14 May1.05pm Guildhall Harpists in Recital, St Olave’s Church, Hart Street, London EC4

Solos and chamber music by Hindemith, J S Bach, Oberthür, Caplet, Andrès, Rota and Persichetti.

20 May 6.00pm Guildhall Harpists’ Recital, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8EP

Solos and songs by Grandjany, Rota, Walter-Kuhne, J S Bach and Philip Cannon

21 May7.00pm Guildhall Harpists’ Recital, Welsh Church, Guild Church of St Benet, Paul’s Wharf, Queen Victoria St, London EC4V 4ER

Solos, songs and chamber music by Bax, J S Bach, Saint-Saëns, CPE Bach, Caplet, Handel and Philip Cannon

25 May 7.00pm Guildhall Harpists’ Recital, Music Hall

Solos, songs and chamber music by Fauré, J S and CPE Bach, Chopin, Handel, Jongen and Philip Cannon.

17 June1.30-5.30pm in the Music Hall

Summer Masterclass with Chantal Mathieu

7.00pm in the Music Hall

Lecture Recital by Alexander Rider:

In the Footsteps of a Châtelaine – The life of harpist Micheline Kahn through works written for her.

This recital will include the World Première of Robert Saxton’s Toccata, Passagaclia and Dance for solo harp.

18 June1.05pm in the Music Hall

Chantal Mathieu in Recital

3.30-6.30pm in the Music Hall

Summer Masterclass with Chantal Mathieu