About

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 and indoor 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 live gigs with her own music to session work with many different artists; from devising and performing the music for spectacular fireworks shows with pyrotechnics company Walk the Plank to musically directing for theatre companies. 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. In 2011 Rachael spent some time in West Africa training on the kora.

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, Proper Job Theatre 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.