Tuesdays Till Two - Lunchtime Concert: Amara Duo (Flute & Harp)

About

After her Tuesdays Till Two début the previous week, flautist Dana Morgan returns to St John's on 10th May as one half of the Amara Duo. Her musical partner this time will be Hungarian harpist Rita Schindler, and their programme,"Tales of Love - Romance of the Flute and Harp", will indeed be a whirlwind romance - with a slow dance, a gentle boat ride, a passionate tango, and a lover's greeting composed by Elgar for his future bride.

As ever St John's will be open for an hour before the concert begins, with volunteers from the pop-up café team offering lots of home made sweet and savoury treats as well as hot and cold drinks.

The concert will begin promptly at 1pm. Admission is free, but those who are able to afford it are asked to make a donation. The suggested amount is £5.

Programme: "Tales of Love - Romance of the Flute and Harp"

Saint-Saens - Romance
Alwyn - Naiades
Jongen - Danse Lente
Elgar - Salut d'Amour
Debussy - En Bateau
Piazzola - Histoire du Tango

About Dana Morgan:

Dana studied the flute at the Royal Northern College of Music, before becoming fascinated by improvisation and contemporary music. She has won five star reviews for her playing as well as being the recipient of various prizes and accolades. Concerto performances include those by Khachaturian, Nielsen, Ibert, Reinecke and the Violin Concerto in E minor by Mendelssohn.
She enjoys a varied freelance career with an emphasis on chamber music and as a soloist, with Cuillin Sound, the Amara Ensemble (flute/harp) and Phileas (flute/piano) being her main focus.

Dana is passionate about encouraging students to perform to the best of their ability, lecturing on performance techniques and giving masterclasses and workshops on contemporary flute methods throughout the UK. She is the flute tutor for the Universities of Nottingham and Sheffield in addition to having taught for the University of Leicester and the Royal Air Force. She has been a guest tutor for Trinity Laban and the flute tutor for Raasay Music Courses and Malvern Winds.
Dana is currently working on a series of compositions for solo flute, including for glissando headjoint, and a new publication about the inner techniques of flute playing.

About 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.