Chamber Music
A committed chamber musician, Sally participates in a number of ensembles.
THE SALLY PRYCE ENSEMBLE
LAUNCHED DECEMBER 2006 WITH THE INAUGURAL CONCERT AT THE WIGMORE HALL (5/12/06)
This is a new flexible ensemble with anywhere between 3 to 7 players and aims explore the chamber music repertoire of the harp. The largest ensemble is based around the instrumentation of Ravel's 'Introduction and Allegro' (flute, Clarinet, String Quartet and Harp) while trios would normally include Flute, Viola and Harp to perform Debussy's well loved Sonata. The core of five players include some of the finest young musicians around today (Adam Walker, Elizabeth Cooney, Reiad Chibah (viola) and Gemma Rosefield ('cello)
'a fine performance, with Pryce particularly sensitive...an
effervescent flute melody from Walker was taken up enthusiastically by
Pryce, before a bluesy intervention from Cooney’s violin, suitably exaggerated.
Ensemble throughout...was excellent, the group’s sense of expressive
holding back just right'
Ben Hogwood, www.classicalsource.com,
December 2006
FLUTE AND HARP DUO (with Adam Walker)
Adam Walker and Sally Pryce formed the duo in 2005 and gave their first performance in the British Embassy, Paris. Since then they have performed in venues across the country and abroad including the Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall Manchester, St George's Bristol and numerous music festivals. They continue to enjoy a busy schedule of performances and are quickly creating a reputation as one of the finest Flute and Harp duos performing today
In May 2007 Sally and Adam will make their debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall performing Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto.
Adam Walker biography
Born in Retford, Nottinghamshire in 1987, Adam Walker taught himself to play the flute at the age of 9. A year later he entered Chetham's School of Music, where he studied with Gitte Sorensen.
In 2002, at the age of 14, Adam became the youngest ever winner of the British Flute Society Competition and in 2003 won the Royal Overseas League prize for the woodwind player with "the most promise". He has appeared as soloist with the Halle(acute accent) Orchestra at Bridgewater Hall and with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at Buckingham Palace. In 2004 he was a concerto finalist in the BBC Young Musicians Competition performing Nielsen's Flute concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ilan Volkov at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. Later that year he made his debut recital at Wigmore Hall, and gave a recital at St George's Bristol. He has given numerous radio broadcasts, including appearances on BBC Radio 3.
In January 2005, Adam toured the middle-east and in August he took part in the Edinburgh International Festival production of Britten's Curlew River. In September 2005 Adam entered the Royal Academy of Music and is now studying with Michael Cox.
'Completely at ease with their audience...they played extremely
well together with a good balance between the instruments ...these talented
young musicians must surely have a great future ahead of them'
Helen Bomgardner, Newbury
News June 2006
THE DORETTE VIOLIN AND HARP DUO
Elizabeth Cooney, violin and Sally Pryce, harp met as scholars at the Royal College of Music London and both graduated in 2001 with first class honours. As soloists they have since made their mark on the international stage and have come together as a duo to perform a wide spectrum of repertoire for violin and harp including works rarely if ever heard by audiences.
We chose the name Dorette for our violin and harp duo after discovering that this was the name of Louis Spohr's wife. Louis Spohr was a renowned violinist and composer of his day and performed many recitals with Dorette, one of the great harpists of the time. Dorette, along with her husband was responsible for bringing music for violin and harp to many audiences throughout Europe.
Elizabeth Cooney biography
Elizabeth Cooney held both the Mills Williams and Phoebe Benham Junior Fellowships at the RCM where she studied with Itzhak Rashkovsky. While there she was also awarded the Seymour Whinyates Prize for Strings and the Ian Stoutzker Prize for Violin.
Selected as Ireland's Rising Star 2006 by the National Concert Hall Dublin, Elizabeth's debut recital there in February 06 was highly acclaimed. In 2002 she made her Royal Festival Hall debut with Tully Potter of The Strad describing her as 'a talent to watch' and in 2004 she made her Wigmore Hall debut with Daniel Hill on piano.
She has performed in major venues throughout Europe and the USA and made her Carnegie Hall debut in October 2006. Elizabeth won second prize at the Sion-Valais International Violin Competition in Switzerland, the audience prize and the award for best interpretation of the compulsory piece. She has worked with conductors Paavo Jarvi, Aleksander Anissimov, Laurent Wagner and Joseph Domenech Cabalech among others and last year released her first CD, called 'Debut' to critical acclaim ('remarkable virtuosity' - Sunday Tribune).
Elizabeth is a keen chamber musician and has given a recital of Brahms Sonatas with Barry Douglas, performed also with John O'Conor, piano, Fionnula Hunt, violin and with her own piano trio, the Sans Souci who premiered Mark Anthony Turnage's piano trio 'A Fast Stomp' at the Canterbury Music Festival.