Agenda
Agenda
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The Greek singer-songwriter Elisa Vellia was born in Corfu and grew up in Athens. She left her country for adventure and travel. She discovered the Celtic harp on the London Underground; then later settled in Brittany. Between her native land and her adopted land, between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, she sings in Greek about her roots and her emotions, giving new life to the harp and weaving her own musical universe.
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Our third series of Les Jeudis de la Harpe is approaching its third concert – which promises to be exceptional, as we welcome Isabelle Moretti to our online stage. Her programme will include works by J S Bach, Glinka / Balakirev, Debussy and Tournier. From some of the greatest composers in Western musical history, to some of the most subtle and sublime colours of the harp literature, this will be a musical experience not to be missed!
“Beauty of sound, perfection of style, depth of eloquence”: this is how the composer Philippe Hersant describes Isabelle Moretti. She is an artist who, since the beginning of her rich career, has been an ambassador for the colours of the French harp throughout the world. In her hands, the harp reveals the full extent of its immense, not always expected, expressive potential. Ever-curious, she embraces a vast repertoire, from the 18th century to the present day.
Please join us on YouTube at 19:30 CET, this coming Thursday April 29.
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As May begins, so does the Spring! Les Jeudis de la Harpe is also feeling joyful, with a concert by one of the most exciting members of the new generation of modern trad.
Kevin Le Pennec is the winner of 2019’s Camac Trophy at the Lorient Interceltic Festival, where he also won the audience prize. He combines his passion for traditional music and songs with modern harp arrangements. Thursday’s programme will explore the music of Brittany, Scotland and Ireland: full of song, dances, fused with pop and other influences, and emotionally deep and varied.
Together with his duo partner Morgane Grégory (another Lorient Trophy winner, in 2017!), Kevin has also just released a début album: Bisiad. Warmly recommended – you can get a flavour via its SoundCloud excerpts.
We look forward to welcoming you to Kevin’s concert: Thursday, May 6, at 19:30 CET on YouTube!
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This Thursday, May 13 at 19:30 on YouTube, we are looking forward to welcome one of the best-known singer-songwriters of the French contemporary scene. Cristine Merienne started her career in the 90s with Sedrenn – a piquant duet that contributed to the Breton musical landscape in this very active and creative period. She then decided to combine her passion for music with her passion for writing and French songs. She has continued in this direction ever since, creating many projects alone and with colleagues, and frequently crossing disciplines into theatre and literature.
Cristine’s set on Thursday will indeed consist entirely of her own songs, selected from a creative period spanning over two decades.
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We are delighted to welcome François Pernel to perform solo on Les Jeudis de la Harpe this Thursday. He will be focusing on original music from his latest volume, “Boite à outils pour harpe à leviers” (“Toolbox for lever harp”), which has never been performed in concert before.
we have long admired François Pernel’s wonderful contribution to the lever harp. He is the inspiration behind our Excalibur harp; you can also watch him demonstrate our new Odyssey model, and much more besides. He regularly publishes beautifully-presented volumes of compositions, offering lever harpists a wealth of intriguing, original music. His oeuvre is also particularly accessible: a committed teacher, he works regularly with his harpist colleagues to create music for the youngest beginners, fantastic ensemble projects, and also exciting challenges for advanced musicians.
As ever, just log on to YouTube at 19:30, and enjoy the premier!
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“Les Jeudis de la Harpe” return to classical music this week, with one of Belgium’s most distinguished harpists. We are delighted to welcome Annie Lavoisier, Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and Principal Harpist of the Belgian National Orchestra, to give a recital for us. Her programme will include some of the harp literature’s best-loved works, and also some which deserve to be heard much more often: Golestan’s Ballade Roumaine is a case in point, as is Haffner’s dancing Sonatina – Ballet.
Join us for the premier @CamacHarpsOfficial on YouTube!
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We have now reached the final concert of our third series – and we have been thrilled to discover Anna Boulic, who plays for us for the first time. Anna moved to France from her native Australia in 2015. Her incredible voice, smoky jazz and blues and wealth of original songs, will bring this series of Les Jeudis de la Harpe to a fantastic conclusion. If you haven’t yet had a chance to hear Anna – don’t miss it!
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Under the artistic direction of Ghislaine Petit-Volta and Laurence Bancaud, the Collegium21 competition encourages even the youngest harpists to explore contemporary music. There are four levels from beginners to advanced conservatoire students, combine very new works / world premiers, with free-choice pieces. One special feature of the competition is its series of masterclasses prior to the contest, where students can work directly with the composers of the set works. Moreover, all the masterclasses are filmed and later published online.
This year, Collegium21 has made a big effort to increase the accessibility of the competitions to international students: their website now also has an English version, with all the information you need to take part. Curious harpists should also explore the website of Collegium21’s sister association, Les Signes de L’Arc. They have also translated their excellent reference book – La Harpe aux XXe et XXIe siècles – into English, as Guide to the Contemporary Harp.
