Melissa’s musical style includes Classical, folk, romantic, contemporary and Bollywood.
Melissa has performed solo harp recitals at Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Coronation Festival, The National Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the Royal College of Music (RCM), Salvi Harps Showroom London, St. Peter’s Church, Kensington and the Kammermusiksaal Köln, Germany. Other performing highlights include being selected to provide music for HRH Prince of Wales at the Royal College of Music President’s Visit. Also an active orchestral musician, Melissa has performed with numerous orchestras, in prestigious venues such as the St. John’s Smith Square, Duke’s Hall and the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, under conductors Vladimir Jurowski and Bernard Haitink.
Melissa completed the Master of Music in Performance under the tutelage of harp Professor Daphne Boden at the RCM. Prior to this, she read Music at King’s College London, where she graduated with Honours, and received the LRAM teaching diploma with Distinction. She was also successful in spending part of her studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Professor Han-An Liu. She has participated in masterclasses with world-renowned harpists such as Marisa Robles, Isabelle Perrin, Karen Vaughan and Imogen Barford, and has taken part in summer courses, such as the Académie Internationale de Courcheval (France), and the International Harp Summer School (Benslow Music), where she won the John Sebastian Morley Prize. Melissa was awarded a Distinction in the Premier Challenge Cup for Strings in the North London Music Festival 2012.
Based in North London
CLASSICAL/ ROMANTIC/ FILM/ JAZZ/ BOLLYWOOD
CLASSICAL
Britten - Interlude from A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28
Busser - Piece de Concert, Op. 3
Cabezon - Pavane and Variations
Gliere - Impromptu for Harp
Godefroid - Etude de Concert
Romance Without Words
Glinka - Nocturne
Grandjany - Fantaisie sur un theme de J. Haydn, Op. 31
Guridi - Viejo Zortico
Handel - Prelude and Toccata (transcribed for harp by M. Grandjany)
Hasselmans - La Source
Mayuzumi - Rokudan
Meyer - Sonata in G
Natra - Sonatina for Harp
Pierne - Impromptu – Caprice, Op. 9
Rota - Sarabande e Toccata
Saint-Saens - Fantaisie pour harpe, Op. 95
Spohr - Fantasia for Harp, Op. 35
Susann Macdonald / Linda Wood - Two Guitars
Tournier - Au matin (Etude de Concert)
Unknown - Variations on a theme by Mozart
Watkins - Petite Suite
Zabel - Marguerite Douloureuse au Rouet
POPULAR CLASSICAL
J. S. Bach tr. Grandjany – movements from the Violin Sonatas and Partitas
J. S. Bach – Air on the G string
J. S. Bach – Arioso
J. S. Bach – Prelude in C
Delibes - Flower Duet from ‘Lackme’
Gluck - Dance of the Blessed Spirits
Handel – Water Music
Lully – Dance from ‘Alceste’
Massenet - Meditation from ‘Thais’
Mozart - Minuet in G
Saint-Saens - The Swan
Scarlatti – Sonatas
Tchaikovsky – Arrangements of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutrcracker
JAZZ
Louiguy - La Vie en Rose
The Way You Look Tonight
Mercer – Dream
Gummoe – Rhythm of the Rain
Romberg – Lover Come Back to Me
Mancini – Days of Wine and Roses
Kaempfert – Spanish Eyes
Fain – Secret Love
Gershwin – Embraceable you, Summertime, Somebody Loves Me
Dave Brubeck – Take Five
Pearl Chertok – Around the Clock Suite
Rodgers – Blue Moon
FILM THEMES
Cavatina from ‘The Deer Hunter’
My Heart will go on from ‘Titanic’
Moon River from ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’
Over the Rainbow from ‘The Wizard of Oz’
BOLLYWOOD
Kal Ho Naa Ho
Piju Bole from ‘Parineeta’
Chhukar Mere Manko from ‘Yarana’
Hai Apna Dil from ‘Solva saal’
Tu Je Deka To Ye Jaana Sanam from ‘Dilwale dulhania le jayenge’
Pyar Deewana Hota Hai from ‘Kati patang’
Jeena Yahan from ‘Mere naam Joker’
Pehla Nasha from ‘Jo jeeta wohl Sikander’
Kuch Kuch Hotha Hai
- A chair, preferably armless
- Parking/unloading area
- A safe place to store my belongings
I arrive 30 minutes prior to the performance, which is ample time for setup.
The Queen's Coronation Festival, Buckingham Palace
St. James's Palace
Kensington Palace
Dolce & Gabbana
Matthew Williamson at Blakes Hotel
The National Gallery
The Victoria & Albert Museum
The Royal Academy of Arts
Saatchi Gallery
Winchester Cathedral
St. Stephen's Church, Kensington
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Grosvenor House
Mandarin Oriental
The Royal Horseguards Parade
The Renaissance St. Pancras
Syon House
Hedsor House
King's Place
Institute of Directors
Foundling Museum
RIBA
Coutts
Royal Courts of Justice
Trinity House
Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn
AFME
The Banqueting House
Four Seasons Hotel
Hilton Park Lane
The Dorchester
Sofitel St. James'
The Landmark