Harpist Floraleda Sacchi: Biography

Press Kit > Biography

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 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), Amici del Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Sala Verdi (Milan), Teatro Valle (Rome), Matsuo Hall (Tokyo), Prefectural Hall Alti (Kyoto), Teatro Municipal de Lima (Peru), Salle Vare'se (Lyon), Gasteig (Munich), Hypo-Kunsthalle (Munich), Concerts de la Croix Rouge (Geneva), Theatre Bellevue (Amsterdam), Gessler Hall (Vancouver), CBC - Glenn Gould Studio (Toronto), Emilia Romagna Festival, Festival Pontino, Lamspringer September, Rosegart Stiftung (Lucerne), etc.

In the 2009-10 season, she will perform in some of the most famous concert halls in the world (Gewandhaus – Leipzig, Konzerthaus - Berlin, Carnegie Hall, etc.). In 2010-11 she will appear again on US West Coast, Spain, Germany, Japan and will extensively tour China in 2011 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.
Other recent recordings are the world première recording of Sophia Corri works for solo harp (Tactus), "Suite en duo" with flutist Claudio Ferrarini (Philips) and "Chiaroscuro" (Amadeus Arte) where Flora presents her compositions for the first time.

She has been described as able to "make seem easy what is extremely complex" by Corriere della Sera. Floraleda Sacchi has recorded more than ten CDs (Decca, Philips, Tactus, Aulia, Stradivarius, RaiTrade...) which show her eclectic style and versatility: from her rediscovery of classical composers (such as Krumpholtz or Sophia Corri) to contemporary music with excursions into pop music and cross-over as well.

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

Floraleda long list of national and international honors includes, from 1997 to 2003, top prizes at 16 international competitions, among them: Concours UFAM (Paris), Gioventu' Musicale Italiana, Rovere d'oro, T.I.M. (Rome), Concorso F. Schubert, Toronto Concerto Competition (Canada), Premio Galbiati (Milan).

Floraleda Sacchi was guested and her CD are regularly braodcasted by major radio and television (RAI, Mediaset, RSI, ORF, Dutch Radio, BBC, Radio France, ABC, Avro). She often collaborates with actors in theatre shows. Recently she appeared with Ottavia Piccolo in "Donna non rieducabile". This show became also a movie for RAI (Radio Televisione Italiana) entitled "The blood, the snow" directed by Felice Cappa. Flora acted in the movie and composed the soundtrack.

Parallel to music she studied English, French and German and dedicated herself to photography and writing. In 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 the main specialist journals (American Harp Journal, Harpa, World Harp Congress Review), and she has managed dozens of editions for Amadeus Arte, Ozella Music/Enya and RaiTrade. Some of her poems were published by PulcinoElefante Editions.

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

She gives masterclasses in Europe, the United States and Canada (Westminister College - Salt Lake City, Accademia Europea di Musica, British Columbia University - Vancouver, New York University, Conservatorio di Parma, Masterclass di Cervo, Masterclass di Camerino, etc.).

Floraleda Sacchi, born in Como, dedicated herself to dance and started studying the harp with Lisetta Rossi only 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***

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

This Duo [Claudio Ferrarini and Floraleda Sacchi] bewitches the soul.
Irene Krieger, Maerkische Allgemeine Zeitung

A duo [Claudio Ferrarini and Floraleda Sacchi] full of inspiration and brilliant vistuosism.
A. Ciappino, America Oggi

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.
USA Today

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

floraleda sacchi

Press Kit > Biography

- Biography

Home