Youth violinist Isla May Whinnen-Jensen plays on Friday, March 24.
Youth violinist Isla May Whinnen-Jensen plays on Friday, March 24.
Thames Music Group has just released an exciting program for 2023.
Canadian harpist and composerJosh Layne is in New Zealand for Harp Fest NZ and brings his show to St George’s Anglican Church, in the Thames town centre on the corner of Mackay and Mary Sts, on Sunday, March 5, at 2pm.
Layne has been called a “harp genius” and a “consummate musician”. He has performed extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and South America, and has been praised for his virtuosity and the sensitivity of his playing.
Layne performs music by Bach, Beethoven, Layne, Presle, Smetana, and more. Here as a guest of Harp Fest NZ, Layne has been touring the North and South islands since the start of February, with this concert marking the end of his New Zealand tour.
Layne’s performances show off the depth and breadth of the harp. Headlined by stunning arrangement for solo harp of Smetana’s orchestral masterpiece The Moldau, the programme also includes the adagio from Beethoven’s Appassionata sonata, Layne’s own music, and Jacques de le Presle’s French impressionist Garden in the Rain.
Canadian harpist Josh Layne plays Thames on Sunday, March 5.
Layne has recorded four albums of solo harp music, including his 2013 CD Passage: music for solo harp, which features three of his original compositions for harp. Recent projects include a revival of Bochsa’s long-dormant Concerto No. 1 in D minor with a performance at the World Harp Congress in Wales in July.
Born out of a passion for teaching, Josh also has a biweekly YouTube series, Harp Tuesday, launched in 2010. Harp Tuesday covers all aspects of playing the harp — from your first lesson to in-depth looks at advanced music. With 200-plus episodes and over 2 million views, Harp Tuesday is an amazing resource for harpists throughout the world.
Layne’s most recent YouTube project is Harpist in the Wild, a new video series combining his love of music and the outdoors. More at www.harpistinthewild.com. Learn more about Layne at his website www.joshlayne.com.
On Friday, March 24, Isla May Whinnen-Jensen, a 12-year-old local violinist who has been studying for six years, will perform.
Isla has previously played in Auckland with the BayLynn Youth Band, held two of her own concerts in Thames, and is a familiar face busking at the Thames market. Isla is collaborating with other musicians to form a folk band. Her genres include classical, folk and contemporary. She is studying for her grade six exam, with Auckland-based teacher Alexandra Laubli.
Isla plans to study music at university, and become a violin teacher and luthier.
The full Thames Music Group concert calendar is below:
MARCH
Sunday, March 5: Harpist Josh Layne — here in NZ from Canada for the Harp Fest NZ
Friday, March 24: Youth violinist Isla May Whinnen-Jensen
APRIL
Sunday, April 2: James Brown — piano, a Thames favourite returning for one superb concert
