Lunchtime Concert: Harp Recital
FRI 21 OCT 13.05
Take time out this lunchtime for a performance by Trinity Laban harp-focused programme, with duos also including violin and guitar, in the beautiful surroundings of the Old Royal Naval College Chapel.
CLARA GATTI COMINI, HARP
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Harp Sonata in G Major, H. 563
I. Adagio un poco
II. Allegro
III. Allegro
NAZCA DUO
Lucia Foti, harp
Stefano Fiacco, guitar
A. Tansman
Suite in modo polonico
I. Entrée
III. Kujawiak (Mazurka Lente)
IV. Tempo di polonaise
VII. Alla polacca
LUCIA FOTI, HARP
E.A. Walter-Khüne
Fantasy on themes from the opera
Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky
MARIA MCNAMEE, HARP
Händel
Harp Concerto in Bb
I. Andante Allegro
MARIA MCNAMEE & GREGORY SCOTLAND, LEVER HARP & VIOLIN DUO
Catriona McKay
Swan LK243
Brendan Ring
Lads of duns (trad. Irish) - Lisnagun jig
Phill Cunningham (arr. Gregory Scotland)
The Gentle Light that wakes me
Traditional Irish
Mom’s Jig by Jerry Holland - Musical Priest
Clara Gatti Comini is an Italian harpist studying as a Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance scholar under the guidance of Gabriella Dall’Olio and Frances Kelly for the triple harp. She recently completed her Bachelor’s degree with a First Class Honours. In 2016 she obtained a Harp Diploma at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional in Paris. Prior to this, she studied at the Conservatori Municipal de Música de Barcelona. She has attended masterclasses with internationally renowned harpists including Fabrice Pierre, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Catherine Michel, Isabelle Moretti, Sylvain Blassel, Elizabeth Fontan-Binoche, Heidi Krutzen and Park Stickney. Besides her harp studies, in 2017 she obtained a bachelor’s degree in International Development from King’s College London.
Clara is a winner of the John Marson Harp Prize for Outstanding Musicianship 2020, the Cherubim Music Trust Harp Prize 2020, and holds third prize at the London Camac Harp Competition 2020. She has won various competitions from a young age, including Arpa Plus and L’Arjau in Barcelona.
In 2020 she performed Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto at Wigmore Hall as part of Trinity Laban’s Strings’ program. She has given solo performances at St. James’s Church Piccadilly, the Lingotto in Turin, Nice Classic Live, Harps on Wight Festival, Agimus Grosseto, and Borough New Music where she performed the UK premiere of Ada Gentile’s piece Scaglie di Mare for solo harp.
Since 2019, Clara is a member of Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, performing at St. John’s Smith Square and Cadogan Hall, and Reserve at the European Union Youth Orchestra.
Lucia Foti (1998) studied with Maria Ester Gattoni at Conservatorio di Como, Italy, where she graduated in harp performance with first class honours.
Supported by a Trinity Laban Scholarship, she is currently attending a Master of Music at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, under the tutelage of Gabriella Dall’Olio and Frances Kelly.
She won several competitions - notably, she was awarded a first prize scholarship at the 2015 Soroptimist Italia Competition for Young Talents.
She has attended masterclasses with Elizabeth Fontan-Binoche, Anna Loro, Judith Liber, Luisa Prandina, Park Stickney, Heidi Krutzen, Gwyneth Wentink and Fabrice Pierre.
She is a current reserve of the Young Musicians’ Symphony Orchestra, with whom she has performed at Cadogan Hall.
As part of the Duo Images, Lucia regularly plays with flautist Anna Ratti. In 2018, they were both protagonists of Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto, which was performed with MaMu Ensemble and Orchestra Sinfonica del Lario.
With guitarist Stefano Fiacco, she has formed Nazca Duo, who were selected as recipients of the 2022 Colin Blythe Fund. In 2021 and 2022, they performed at Wigmore Hall, as part of a Trinity Laban programme.
Stefano Fiacco (1997) studied with Giovanni Podera, Luigi Attademo, Nicola Jappelli, and Fabiano Merlante in Bergamo, Italy. In 2020 he took advantage of the Erasmus+ Program to study with Graham Anthony Devine at Trinity Laban for his last Master’s year and graduated with first class honours once back in Bergamo.
He is currently attending an Artist Diploma course in Guitar at Trinity Laban with Graham Anthony Devine.
Other than performing in chamber formations (duo with guitar, cello, harp, flute and guitar trio), Stefano performed on his own and as a soloist with different orchestras. He also performed as a continuist for baroque ensembles and orchestras playing the cello as well as the lute.
He won several prizes in competitions including first prize at the Valstrona competition in 2013, the Estudiantina Bergamasca in 2016 and the special Nilo Peraldo Bert prize (ex-aequo) at the Nilo Peraldo Bert competition in 2015, and attended masterclasses with Giulio Tampalini, Ermanno Brignolo, Eduardo Fernández, Javier Riba.
He collaborated as a revisor with Ediciones Espiral Eterna for the new edition of El Decamerón Negro (1981) by Maestro Leo Brouwer.
Maria McNamee is an Irish harpist from Newry who began playing the harp at the age of 9, embracing both traditional Irish and classical music. She recently graduated with a first-class honour's degree and TCL silver medal from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance where she continues to study for her master's degree with Gabriella Dall’Olio and Frances Kelly.
In 2011, Maria joined Chetham’s School of Music where she spent 6 years studying with Marie Leenhardt, Gabriella Dall’Olio and En Hudson.
Winner of the John Marson prize 2020, Maria was awarded 2nd prize in the London Camac competition 2021. In 2017 Maria became a runner up Irish heritage award winner. Solo engagements have included performances at St James Piccadilly, Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, playing for London’s Irish ambassador at the Irish Embassy, for the Duke of Wellington at Aspley house, as well as regular performances at the Queen’s house and the ORNC Chapel in London.
Maria is also a very active chamber and orchestral musician, part of several chamber groups and co-principal harp of the Young Musician's Symphony Orchestra.
Maria recently performed as a soloist at Blackheath halls for Sally Beamish’s Seavaigers, written for solo fiddle and lever harp with string ensemble. This concerto was part improvised and inspired by Scottish folk music which tied in well with Maria’s love and interest in folk music.
Maria is delighted to be generously supported by the Ann Driver Scholarship and the Helen Roll Charity/The Joyce Tudge Bursary Scholarship, Help Musicians UK, the Countess of Munster trust, the Craxton memorial trust and the Boise Scholarship.
Gregory Scotland is a violinist from Leicestershire who recently gained a degree in violin performance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Gregory joined Trinity in 2018 as the Len Smith and Felicity Young Scholar and studied with John Crawford. Though he is a classically trained violinist and performs in Orchestras and chamber ensembles around the world, he is also an enthusiastic folk fiddler, regularly performing traditional Irish folk music in a variety of settings, including as a member of the folk trio 'The Abhainn Trio'.
Old Royal Naval College Chapel
Admission free, no ticket required
