Alice (Harpist) Exciting and versatile professional harpist!

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Price Guide

The guide prices below are for events within 15 miles of Altrincham, Greater Manchester. Outside this area extra travel expenses will apply. Please get in touch for an accurate quote.
1 hour of music (Wedding or Corporate Events): £355
2 hours of music (Wedding or Corporate Events): £446
3 hours of music (Wedding or Corporate Events): £546
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About / Biography

Alice is a professional Mancunion harpist with a deep enthusiasm for music, available for weddings, corporate events, orchestral work and solo performances.

Alice completed her undergraduate degree on the highly competitive and prestigious Manchester ‘Joint Course’, which involves studying for a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Manchester and a graduateship at the Royal Northern College of Music simultaneously. In 2018 she graduated with first class honours in music from the University of Manchester and the following year she was awarded an Upper classification as a Graduate of the RNCM (GRNCM). Whilst studying at Manchester University, Alice was awarded the Procter-Gregg prize in both 2016 and 2018 which is awarded annually to the student with the highest mark for performance.

Alice has always had a passion for music and has excelled at the harp from a young age. Prior to joining the RNCM she held a music scholarship at Manchester High School for Girls and became a student at Junior RNCM aged 11, and won numerous prizes including the Chamber Music Prize and the Warburton Music Competition which allowed her the opportunity to perform as a soloist in the Bridgewater Hall. In 2015 she was awarded a Graucob Award for further study.

Alice has a strong interest in contemporary music and frequently works with composers in developing and premiering new works for harp, including a composition for harp and chamber orchestra as part of New Music North West and a collaborative venture involving music and dance. As well as the classical tradition, Alice is passionate about exploring jazz on the harp, and in 2018 travelled to Switzerland to study under acclaimed jazz harpist Park Stickney. In November 2019 she supported the celebrated jazz vocalist and violinist Alice Zawadzki, allowing her the opportunity to perform at London Jazz Festival. She is a founding member of Manchester-based harp duo Rascallity which explores unusual repertoire for two harps, including jazz, latin, and contemporary styles, often through her own arrangements and compositions.

An experienced freelance harpist, Alice performs as a soloist across the North West, and also regularly appears with many orchestras. She regularly entertains at both corporate and occasion events and her wide interest in different genres of music means her performances consist of tailor-made music appropriate to any occasion. While the harp is beautiful acoustically during intimate events, for larger gatherings she is able to amplify her instrument. Skilled in arranging for the harp, Alice is also willing to arrange a particular song request from you.

Reviews (8)

There are currently 8 user ratings for Alice (Harpist)

AVERAGE RATING

10 / 101

Location

Based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester

Will travel up to 200 miles
green circle = areas covered (up to 200 miles)
pink circle = free travel (up to 15 miles)
Please note that the circles shown on the map are calculated "as the crow flies". By road distances may vary, so please get in touch for an accurate quote.

CLASSICAL

A River Flows in You - Yiruma

*Ave Maria - Schubert

*Be Thou My Vision (Hymn)

Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel

Claire de Lune - Debussy

Dido’s Lament - Purcell

Etude No. 3: Sarabande - Bach/Grandjany

Für Elise - Beethoven

Gymnopedie I. - Erik Satie

I Giorni - Einaudi

Flower Duet from Lakme - Delibes

*Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring - J.S. Bach

Jupiter/I Vow To Thee My Country - Holst

Meditation (from Thais) - Massanet

Nessum Dorma - Puccini

O Mio Babbino - Puccini

Pavane pour une Infante Défunte - Ravel

Prelude in C - J. S. Bach

Spiegel im Spiegel - Arvo Pärt

Suzhou River Fantasia - Phil Young

La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin - Debussy

Time To Say Goodbye - Andrea Bocelli

The Entertainer - Scott Joplin

The Seal Lullaby - Eric Whitacre

Theme from Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky

Wedding March - Wagner

Wedding March Recessional - Mendelssohn

MUSICALS / FILM / VIDEO GAMES

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes (from Cinderella)

All I Ask Of You (from The Phantom of the Opera)

A Million Dreams (from The Greatest Showman)

As The World Falls Down (from Labyrinth)

A Whole New World (from Aladdin)

Baby Mine (from Dumbo)

Beauty and the Beast - Alan Menken

Bella’s Lullaby (from Twilight)

Bring Him Home (from Les Miserables)

Can You Feel The Love Tonight (from The Lion King)

City of Stars (from La La Land)

Edelweiss (from The Sound of Music)

Fairy Fountain (from The Legend of Zelda)

Feed The Birds (from Mary Poppins)

Glasgow Theme (from Love Actually)

Harry and Hermione (from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince)

Hushabye Mountain (from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

I Dreamed A Dream (from Les Miserables)

Married Life (Theme from Up)

Merry Go Round of Life (from Howl’s Moving Castle)

My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic)

Part Of Your World (from The Little Mermaid)

Pure Imagination (from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory)

Rewrite the Stars (from The Greatest Showman)

Memory (from Cats)

Moon River (from Breakfast At Tiffany’s)

My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic)

Once Upon A December (from Anastasia)

Over The Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz)

Send In The Clowns (from A Little Night Music)

Some Day My Prince Will Come (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves)

Somewhere (from West Side Story)

The Second Star To The Right (from Peter Pan)

When You Wish Upon A Star (from Pinocchio)

POPULAR / JAZZ

All My Life - K-Ci and JoJo

All You Need is Love - The Beatles

A Thousand Years - Christina Perri

And So It Goes - Billy Joel

At Last - Etta James

Autumn Leaves - Joseph Kozma

Breathe Me - Sia

California Dreamin’ - The Mamas and Papas

Cannonball - Damien Rice

Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

Dream a Little Dream of Me - Andre & Schwandt

Everything I Do - Bryan Adams

Fields Of Gold - Sting

Fireflies - Owl City

From This Moment On - Shania Twain

Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen

Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles

I Just Called To Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder

Imagine - John Lennon

If I Ain’t Got You - Alicia Keys

Isn’t She Lovely - Stevie Wonder

I Will - The Beatles

I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

Let It Go - James Bay

Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding

Lovin’ You - Minnie Riperton

Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens

May It Be - Enya

Misty - Errol Garner

My Romance - Richard Rodgers

Perfect - Ed Sheeran

Photograph - Ed Sheeran

Runaway - The Corrs

Shape of You - Ed Sheeran

Simple Man - Barbara Streisand

(Simply) The Best - Tina Turner

Skinny Love - Bon Iver/Birdy

Smile - Charlie Chaplin

Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

Summertime - Gershwin

Sweet Child O’ Mine - Guns N’ Roses

The A Team - Ed Sheeran

The Long and Winding Road - The Beatles

The Only Exception - Paramore

The Sound of Silence - Paul Simon

Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

True Colours - Cyndi Lauper

What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton

Wonderwall - Oasis

Yesterday - The Beatles

You Are The Reason - Callum Scott

You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban

You’re Still The One - Shania Twain

TRADITIONAL / FOLK

Amazing Grace (American trad.)

Ashokan Farewell - Jay Ungar

Danny Boy (Irish trad.)

Greensleeves (English trad.)

Isle of Aigas (Scottish trad.)

Lisa Lan (Welsh trad.)

My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose (Scottish trad.)

Sands of Hosta - Ailie Robertson

Scarborough Fair (English trad.)

Suo Gan (Welsh trad.)

Swan LK243 - Catriona McKay

The Water Is Wide (Scottish trad.)

Wild Mountain Thyme (Scottish trad.)

Ye Banks and Braes (Scottish trad.)

Technical Info

What are your basic technical requirements?

I will need a space of about 2.5m squared to perform and a parking space for my car. No other technical requirements :)


Do you provide sound and lighting equipment?

I bring my own battery operated amplifier when needed so I can always be heard. Because it doesn’t require mains power I am able to use it outside or in locations that don’t have access to a power socket, so I am completely self-contained.


What information do you require about a venue?

Any useful directions to help me find the venue, as well as relevant details about loading in and out with a car. If parts of the venue aren't wheelchair accessible (ie. flights of stairs, no lift), please let me know.


Can you provide a Spotify/DJ service before and between your sets?

I am happy to use a Spotify playlist of harp music while I am taking breaks, please let me know if this is something you would be interested in.


Can you move the harp to a different location during the day?

The harp is quite mobile as it travels on a pushable trolley. Moving between rooms during the course of the day shouldn’t be a problem, however I will seek help for moving up and down flights of stairs as I can’t lift the harp on my own. If your reception or wedding breakfast is at a different venue to the ceremony please let me know. I may charge additional travel expenses, but so long as they are both reasonably accessible venues and I am given time to travel and set up there shouldn’t be a problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best gig you've ever done and the best venue you've ever played at?

My most memorable gig was definitely on the slopes of the Acropolis in Athens in an open-air venue called the Odeon of Herodes Atticus performing with the iconic Manchester rock band James. A truly unforgettable experience, although we were all battling the heat at the time!


Which artists have you been most influenced by, who is your favourite artist and what is the greatest song of all time?

My longtime teacher Eira Lynn Jones definitely needs a mention, but in terms of the music I listen to: I'm always amazed by the understated mastery of musicians like Gillian Welch. As a harpist, I have a real appreciation for artists who can cut incredibly deeply with their music, even though its on the quieter side.


What's your previous experience and how did you start gigging?

I have been playing since I was nine and began performing professionally when I was fifteen. I can honestly say I've never wanted to do anything else, and I feel my unwavering devotion to the instrument comes through in my playing. I'm very lucky to do what I love.


What's your favourite type of event to play at?

I love performing at all kinds of events but I think weddings are my favourite. It's such an honour to be a part of such a special moment in a person's life and I'm always so grateful to be a part of it.

Performance Info

What are your typical setup and performance times?

I normally try to arrive around an hour before I'm due to begin playing. When I'm playing, I take a 10 minute break every hour to protect myself from strain. I can play for up to three hours with breaks before needing a longer break across the day.


Are you happy to perform outside?

Yes, however this is weather permitting and depends on certain factors. The harp will need to be placed on a hard, flat surface to make sure it won’t be accidentally knocked over, and it cannot be placed on bare grass due to water retained in the ground. Patio flooring or decking would be perfect. I unfortunately can’t play outdoors if there’s risk of rain or if it is very windy due to the risk of the harp getting damaged. Please bear this in mind if you choose to book me for an outdoor celebration, and feel free to get in touch with any additional questions you may have.


Do the clients have a say in what you play or is it a set repertoire list only?

I absolutely encourage picking pieces from my song list. I’m a firm believer in making your wedding as special and meaningful for you and your partner as possible so I’m happy to take your lead on song selection, but if you would like my own song recommendations I am always happy to advise. I am also able to arrange specific requests from you. I'm eager to make my service as personalised as possible, so I encourage you to let me know if there's a particular song missing from my song list that you would like to hear.


How do previous clients most commonly describe your performances?

Previous testimonials have mentioned the soulful, relaxing ambience of the harp. As well as this, I am regularly complimented on the freedom of song choice on a more unusual instrument, including songs from rock, jazz, and pop genres.


How do song choices work for weddings?

For the wedding ceremony, typically I will need one song choice for the bridal entrance, up to three songs for the signing of the wedding register, and one song as an exit for the married couple. I’m a firm believer in making your wedding as special and meaningful for you and your partner as possible so I’m happy to take your lead on song requests, but if you would like my own recommendations as to which songs work well in each context I am always happy to advise. For drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts I play background music throughout the celebration, and I’m very happy to have specific requests made for this if there are particular songs that interest you.

Recent Clients

Alice (Harpist) has performed for these clients:

James (Manchester rock band)

Gruff Rhys (Welsh rock musician)

Matthew Halsall (spiritual jazz trumpeter)

Jasmine Myra (jazz saxophonist)

Alice Zawadzki (jazz vocalist and violinist)

Good Habits (folk duo)

Venues

Alice (Harpist) has performed at these venues:

Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg

Royal Albert Hall, London

Barbican Hall, London

Union Chapel, London

New Century Hall, Manchester

Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

O2 Apollo, Manchester

RNCM Concert Hall, Manchester

Symphony Hall, Birmingham

St David's Hall, Cardiff

Glasgow Sec Armadillo, Glasgow

O2 City Hall, Newcastle

Howard Assembly Rooms, Leeds

City Hall, Sheffield

Blackpool Opera House, Blackpool

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

York Barbican, York

Bath Forum, Bath

Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham

Brighton Dome, Brighton

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