Biography
Rachael Gladwin is a contemporary harpist based in Manchester. Also a vocalist, percussionist, dabbler of stringed instruments, songwriter and composer, Rachael specialises in improvisation, music for street theatre, large scale performance projects, creative session playing and performing nationwide with various bands. Rachael grew up in Lancaster, began on harp at the age of five and later trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts graduating in 2008 with a first class honours degree in Music.
Rachael’s work is extensive and diverse, from devising and performing the music for spectacular fireworks shows with pyrotechnics company Walk the Plank to directing and working with children and young people to create music for large performance projects and small youth music shows. As the harpist with the Matthew Halsall Sextet Rachael plays regularly on London’s jazz circuit and has recorded live sessions for BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music at Maida Vale Studios. With the Rachael Gladwin Jazz Sextet she plays frequently at Matt and Phred’s Jazz Club in Manchester and with her folky outfit, Rachael and the Red Socks, she has recently released the band’s debut album ‘Melodies and Time’ which has been described by Sir Paul McCartney as 'beautiful melodies, lovely folky vibe... great feel'.
Internationally, Rachael is the harpist for the dazzling French street theatre company La Machine where she performs on a moving cherry picker 40 feet in the air in front of audiences of over a hundred thousand. Rachael’s first outing with La Machine was Liverpool’s Capital of Culture spectacular spider show in 2008 and following that she spent a month with the same show in Yokohama, Japan in Spring 2009. Rachael also joined their sister company La Symphonie Mécanique for a run of shows in France as a musician and musical machine operator in summer of the same year. In 2009 Rachael collaborated with top producer, composer and musician Nitin Sawhney for Aftershock Project in Italy and in 2010 worked alongside leading jazz harpist Park Stickney in Switzerland. Rachael has toured Europe with artists including beautiful folk singer Nancy Elizabeth and jazz trumpeter Matthew Halsall. Rachael’s 2011 calendar sees her spending February in West Africa playing kora and back with La Machine in April in the South of France.
On other live and recorded projects Rachael has worked with Jimmy Osmond, Susan Boyle, Pee Wee Ellis, The Haggis Horns, Horse and Bamboo Theatre, Arun Ghosh, Patrick Forge, Vanessa Freeman, Fingathing, Liverpool Culture Company, and many more fantastic artists and organisations. Rachael is endorsed by first class French harp makers Camac and plays their 44-string electro acoustic pedal harp, the Little Big Blue, and their 30-string electric lever harp, The Baby Blue.
