We commence the course with a warm-up session to “break the ice” and to encourage good posture, breathing, listening and communication.
The course will end with a short informal concert at 3.15pm on Saturday 19th August.

Harp tutors:

RITA SCHINDLER
Hungarian harpist Rita Schindler pursues a varied career as a musician and teacher. Her playing has been described as ‘beguiled with a broad range of colours’, and in 2019 she was appointed principal harp tutor at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

As an orchestral musician, Rita performs regularly with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ulster Orchestra and English Symphony Orchestra and has worked with many other orchestras throughout the country including Opera North, Opera Nova, Southbank Sinfonia, Welsh National Opera, English String Orchestra, the CBSO and Mid Wales Opera.

Her performing career also includes solo and chamber recitals, choir and concerto performances, BBC Radio 3 and 4 live broadcasts, appearances at The Proms, and recordings for Signum Classics and Naxos Records.

Her awards include Sir John Barbirolli Recipient Young Artist of the Royal Philharmonic Society, chamber music competition winner at North London Festival of Music and Drama, and winner of Central England Ensemble Concerto Competition.

Rita began her music education at Zoltán Kodály Hungarian Choir School in Budapest before moving to England to pursue her undergraduate harp studies with Catherine White at Birmingham Conservatoire. She went on to complete her postgraduate studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under the guidance of Imogen Barford. The following year she received an Honorary Junior Fellowship from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where she now teaches in the senior and junior Conservatoire in balance with her busy career as a performer.

EMILY HARRIS
​Emily Harris, a Harpist based in London and South Wales, pursues a portfolio career as a professional musician and teacher. She has been described as having ‘outstanding composure and musical command illustrating real musical feeling and understanding’. Emily completed her Masters in Music Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in June 2020 where she studied with Caryl Thomas. Previously, Emily graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BMus Hons Degree studying with Rita Schindler, Catherine White and Eleanor Turner. Throughout her studies, Emily was generously supported by an annual college scholarship, the Welsh Government Post Graduate Interim Support, and the Worshipful Livery Company of Wales.

Emily is the current MMSF Philharmonia Orchestral Harp Fellow until August 2023. Emily has spent time on the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Welsh National Opera Orchestral Scheme with principal harpists Valerie Aldrich-Smith and Katherine Thomas. From being a passionate orchestral player, Emily has performed with Philharmonia, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, BBC NOW, WNO, Welsh Chamber Orchestra, City of Cardiff Symphony Orchestra, City of Newport Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Wales, City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Orchestra and many more. So far Emily has worked with Mark Wigglesworth, Carlo Rizzi, Anthony Hose, James Southall, Thomas Søndergård, Harry Ogg, Sean O’Neill, David Jones, Jamie Phillips, Michael Seal, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Jac Van Steen, Martyn Brabbins and more.

As well as performing, Emily is an experienced teacher, teaching both lever and pedal harp, piano and music theory to children and adults. Emily teaches privately at home and has worked for both Gwent Music Support Services and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Junior Conservatoire.

The tutors are all Enhanced DBS-checked. Pastoral staff team supports all ESO Youth courses.

COVID protocols – regular hand washing and use of hand sanitiser will be encouraged.