about this event
‘A red, red rose’
A tasteful Valentine’s treat - Puccini, Bizet and Bernstein mixed with traditional Scottish and Irish airs, and the splendour of solo harp.
One of the foremost harpists of her generation, award-winning harpist Luisa-Maria Cordell has travelled the world performing and teaching the harp. She regularly plays with major orchestras, the Royal Family and heads of state. Sarah-Jane Dale is a highly versatile soprano, appearing as a recitalist in oratorio, and opera, and equally at home performing Scottish folk songs.
Luisa-Maria Cordell (harp)
Luisa studied music at The University of Surrey and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and in 2024, she achieved a Distinction at Masters level - the Post Graduate Certificate in performance teaching (Pedagogy and music education). Luisa is an experienced educator who enjoys passing on her love of the harp. She has a busy private practice teaching harpists from beginner to degree level. She is a regular invited guest tutor for the Clarsach Society, the Edinburgh International Harp Festival, National Schools Orchestras and The European Youth Orchestra. One of her greatest passions is directing the National Youth Harp Orchestra of Great Britain and inspiring the next generations of harpists. Luisa founded the orchestra in 2002, and it quickly grew from eight harpists to forty-five in three years! She is the newly appointed Pilgrim Harps harpist in residence and is busy formulating her new exciting harp tutor book called ‘Harp beat’ whilst preparing her new CD entitled ‘Whispering Angel’.
Sarah-Jane Dale (Soprano)
Sarah-Jane studied at the Guildhall School of Music and the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh. She has also performed as a soloist at the Royal Albert Hall, St John’s, Smith Square, Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, British Museum, Kensington Palace, Amberley Castle, Dorking Halls, Snape Maltings and with English National Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, London Opera Players, English Touring Opera and on numerous occasions for the National Trust. Through the Cardiff Singer of the World competition she was chosen to represent the UK in the Rimsky-Korsakov Competition in St. Petersburg, reaching the semi-final. She is also the winner of several awards including the Susan Longfield Award. Other engagements include performances of World Premieres at the International Composers Festival and at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival and concerts in India as a soloist with Toccata.She is also a specialist in 1940’s music and has performed as Vera Lynn at the launch of a Wartime Trail for Arnhem in Holland at the Excel in London.