Harpist Floraleda Sacchi: Biography

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Described as an 'artist of exceptional talent', Floraleda Sacchi has always dedicated herself to the harp solo and chamber music repertoire trying to develop original projects and a personal way of making music.

She has performed as soloist all over the world in major halls and festivals such as: Carnegie Hall-Weill Recital Hall (New York), United Nations Palace (New York), Klang-Bogen (Vienna), Gewandhaus (Leipzig), Konzerthaus (Belin), Sala Verdi (Milan), Teatro Valle (Rome), Matsuo Hall (Tokyo), Prefectural Hall Alti (Kyoto), Teatro Municipal de Lima (Peru), Salle Varese (Lyon), Gasteig (Munich), Hypo-Kunsthalle (Munich), Concerts de la Croix Rouge (Geneva), Theatre Bellevue (Amsterdam), Gessler Hall (Vancouver), CBC - Glenn Gould Studio (Toronto), Teatro Bibiena (Mantova), Emilia Romagna Festival, Festival Pontino, Lamspringer September, Rosegart Stiftung (Lucerne), etc. revealing herself as one of the most interesting and original harpists on the international concert panorama.

She is the only harpist recording for DECCA (Universal Music), which in 2008 published 'Minimal Harp', a project for solo harp including 8 world premiere recordings, defined as 'fascinating' by several journals. Two more releases will appaear for Decca in 2010, the first entitled 'Harp Dances' (April 2010).
Other recent recordings are the world premiere recording of Sophia Corri works for solo harp (November 2009, Tactus) and 'Chiaroscuro' (Amadeus Arte) where Flora presents her compositions for the first time.

Some composers who have dedicated original pieces to her are: Nicola Campogrande, Peter Machajdik, Paolo Castaldi, David Clarck Little, Dimitri Nicolau, Gianluca Cangemi, Jean Chatillon, Luis Berenguer, and Gianluca Podio. Among her first world recordings one can find works by Philip Glass, Giacomo Manzoni, Michael Nyman.

Floraleda Sacchi has been guested and her CD are regularly broadcasted on major radio and television (RAI, Mediaset, RSI, ORF, Dutch Radio, BBC, Radio France, ABC, Avro). She often collaborates with actors in theatre shows. The last project in this fielf was with Ottavia Piccolo in 'Donna non Rieducabile'. This show became also a movie entitled 'The Blood, the Snow' for RAI (Italian television) for which Flora played a role and composed the soundtrack. The premiere of the movie was at 66th International Film Festival in Venice in September 2009. The movie was also bradcast on national TV and issued as DVD by PromoMusic.

Floraleda's long list of national and international honors includes, from 1997 to 2003, top prizes at 16 international competitions, including: Concours UFAM (Paris), Gioventu' Musicale Italiana, Rovere d'oro, T.I.M. (Rome), Concorso F. Schubert, Toronto Concerto Competition (Canada), Premio Galbiati (Milan).
Parallel to music she has studied English, French and German and dedicated herself to photography and writing.

In the musicological field, when she was 21 years old, she won the Harpa Award (Prague, 1999) for her book on Elias Parish Alvars (1999, Odilia Publishing, 220 pages). She has written several articles appeared on major specialist journals (American Harp Journal, Harpa, World Harp Congress Review), and she has managed dozens of music editions and has recently signed an exclusive contract with Ut Orpheus.
She is the only Italian and one of the few European harpists who got the cover and the main article of Harp Column, one of the leading harp magazines in the world (Sep-Oct. 2009 issue).

Since 2006 she is the promoter and artistic director of LakeComo Festival, a series of chamber music concerts held in the historical villas of Lake Como, Italy.

She regularly gives masterclasses in Europe, the United States and Canada (Westminister College - Salt Lake City, Oklahoma University, European Academy of Music, British Columbia University - Vancouver, New York University, Masterclass of Cervo, Conservatorio di Parma, Masterclass of Camerino, etc.).

Floraleda Sacchi, born in Como, initially dedicated herself to dance. Inspired to play the harp by Annie Challan recordings, she started studying with Lisetta Rossi when she was 14. She later studied with Alice Giles (Frankfurt a/M), Alice Chalifoux (Salzedo School, Camden, ME, USA) and with Judy Loman (Toronto, Canada), she consider her mentor.

Reviews

It was interesting to listen to Floraleda Sacchi, soloist with a symphonic orchestra in a piece [Pizzetti's Harp Concerto] that exploits all her lyrical qualities and her impressive powerful sound.
Nordkurier

The young Italian harpist Floraleda Sacchi revealed a harp virtuoso. She seduced the audience with her clear and brilliant performance, which embraced three centuries of repertoire.
Johann Vollmar, Oberbadisches Volksblatt

Floraleda Sacchi bewitches the soul.
Irene Krieger, Maerkische Allgemeine Zeitung

Floraleda Sacchi has technical qualities and interpretation depth. The main traits of her mastery are her fast and sure fingers and her sound always full and round.
Bernardo Pieri, Il Resto del Carlino

The concert [at Carnegie Hall - Weill Recital Hall] was nearly a musical ecstasy.
A. Ciappino, America Oggi

Floraleda Sacchi created impressive sonorities; the technical aspects were excellent as well as the sound floating from ethereal athmospheres to full and powerful effects. The audience was enthusiast.
D.M., Il Giorno

Floraleda Sacchi performed performed beautifully a really virtuoso program.
A.C., La Provincia

Comments

Ms. Sacchi's outstanding quality is her mature and intelligent musicality, a rare and valuable asset on the harp. She has a beautiful tone, a compelling stage presence and a sure technique in the service of the music.
Alice Giles harp teacher at the Camberra School of Music (Australian National University)

I enjoyed working with Floraleda Sacchi on several occasions. She is an intelligent and well rounded musician. An excellent harpist, her musical and technical capabilities are at a high level and she plays with artistry and commitment.
Judy Loman, harp professor (Curtis Institute, Philadelphia, USA)

Floraleda Sacchi has an excellent facility.
Alice Chalifoux, harp professor and director at the Salzedo School (Camden, Maine, USA)

Floraleda Sacchi is an accomplished harpist with a dynamic personality. She is energic, intelligent, enthusiastic and original. I am confident that these qualities contribute greatly to her success.
Judith Liber artistic director International Harp Contest, Israel

CD Reviews

[In Minimal Harp] Sacchi has a convincing way with these varied works, giving each their due in terms of tonal color and rhythmic emphasis, while suggesting implicit similarities. This is a seductive, rather than flamboyant, recital that offers surprising, albeit subtle, rewards to the open-minded listener.
Art Lange, Fanfare

I think Sacchi is a fine performer who is justly celebrated for her accomplishments, and I hope she will record more original harp music.
Rob Haskins, American Records Guide

"Minimal Harp" is absolutely wonderful!!
Marvin Rosen, Classical Discoveries

The search for essentiality pushed Floraleda Sacchi to record "Minimal Harp": A collection of pieces to dream in a CD that will appeal all lovers of cross-over.
Giorgio Vitali, Famiglia Cristiana

"Minimal Harp" gives a physical pleasure before still the intellectual one (but... are the two aspects separate?), and it demonstrates how much is still immense and inexhaustible the space offered to originality and to the free and authentic research. You are a great artist.
Quirino Principe, journalist and Accademico di Santa Cecilia

The way Floraleda performs Philip Glass goes beyond the wonder. The piece that Nicola Campogrande has composed for her is brilliant. [In "Minimal Harp"] there are American, Slovak, Nordic and Italian omposers, Oriental inspirations and Western experiments, pieces of 1912 and unknown ones recently composed. Nevertheless, at the end, the impression that the CD communicates is not the usual boring and chaotic multiethnical melting pot. The project is perfectly harmonized and far away from every known thing, nearly an encounter with Flora, a creature of another dimension who has stolen all the music of the world to play it in a new way and with her curiosity and ability.
Tommaso Labranca per Acid Jazz

"Minimal Harp" presents compositions which caress the ear and, at the same time, are technically demanding and with complex means that Floraleda succeeds perfectly to express and to transmit. Her great bravura is in making to seem easy what instead it is intensely complex.
C.P., Il Corriere

Some of "Minimal Harp" performances sound more representative than ever - I'm pretty sure fans of Glass, Cage and Paert will be stunned by these renditions.
Tokafi Magazine

It is one of the best known harpist in the world, thanks to her bravura. Recenty she realized "Minimal Harp", distributed all over the world from Decca, a truly beautiful and fascinating CD.
Alessio Brunialti, La Provincia

The new CD of Italian harpist Floraleda Sacchi for Decca label is a fascinating program all dedicated to 20th century and contemporary repertoire.
Gabriele Formenti, CD Classico

"Minimal Harp" is a harp alone project, shining and clear and a collection of music which is a dream of minimalism.
Gloria Chiappani Rodichevski, Morfoedro

With "Suite en Duo" one thinks there are still CDs worth to buy, even just for the expressive use of harp and flute. Just after the first listening one realizes both instruments are played by expert performers. Two musicians who think before playing.
Giumart for Caffe' Letterario

Rachmaninoff springs to mind as a composer who was equally accomplished as a performer. It makes no sense comparing his work to that of Floraleda Sacchi, of course. But the mere fact that the CD "Chiaroscuro" has ended up more than just a dignified composing exercise certainly does not make it seem entirely out of place either.
Tobias Fisher on Tokafi.com

I try to express my feelings after the first listening of your recording of "Krumpholtz's Sonatas" in a single phrase: the effect of your playing is magical. Your art is able to transport the listener in a higher state of mind and emotion.
Quirino Principe, journalist and Accademico di Santa Cecilia

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