Johanna, Kate, Katie and Rosa would like you to invite you to join us at St Mary le Bow Church on 18th February, 6pm for an evening of classical singing to raise money for the Hands Up Foundation.

The Hands Up Foundation is a charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for those affected by the crisis in Syria. It works with partner organisations on the ground to support projects helping those most in need.

Johanna and Katie, our two singers, will be performing a number of classical music pieces for us.

There will be refreshments available and the opportunity to purchase homemade marmalade, as part of the MarmalAid social enterprise, inspired by Syria’s own bitter oranges.

Please join us and invite your friends and family!

Our singers

Johanna Harrison

Johanna graduated from Oxford University in 2014. Her numerous operatic roles include Lucretia (Britten, The Rape of Lucretia), Mercedes (Bizet, Carmen) for Dartington International Festival, Marcellina (Mozart, Le Nozze di Figaro) and Junon (Offenbach, Orphee aux Enfers). She has performed at the British High Commission (Sierra Leone), Buckingham Palace, the European Parliament and as part of Westminster Opera’s ‘Emerging Artist’ scheme, as well as for the Friends of Welsh National Opera; she was also invited to sing for Renee Fleming in a broadcast masterclass.

In 2016 she premiered new writing at the World Shakespeare Congress at Stratford and in St Martin-In-The-Fields, Trafalgar Square, and appeared on the Easter Day episode of Songs of Praise to an audience of two million. In September, Johanna will be starting at Guildhall, one of the world’s leading conservatoires.

Katie Braithwaite

Katie graduated from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge in 2015 with a degree in History. She was a choral scholar under Geoffrey Webber and studied with David Lowe, Giles Underwood and Anita Morrison. Musical highlights whilst at Cambridge include performing the title role in Cambridge University Opera Society’s production of Semele and singing the soprano solos in Mozart’s Requiem with King’s College Music Society in King’s College chapel.

Since graduating, she has worked as as a volunteer for a not-for-profit organisation aimed at eliminating food waste in Nicaragua and as a freelance musician, performing as a soloist as well as with groups including Oxford Bach Soloists and Schola Cantorum of Oxford. Katie now teaches History at an independent school in West Sussex.

Our pianists

Alexandra Vaduva - Johanna's pianist

Romanian-born pianist, Alexandra Vaduva started playing the piano at the age of 4. Since then she has won numerous national and international piano competitions, such as the Vienna International Piano Competition, Orpheus Young Musician of the Year, Pro Piano and Carl Filtsch International Piano Competitions.

Alexandra has performed with the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra and the piano concerti by Stravinsky and Grieg while giving solo and chamber music recitals organised by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust within the UK. Her chamber music group (clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano), Ensemble Mirage, was selected as Young Artists for the 2016/2017 St. John’s Smith Square Recital Scheme.

Since 2009, Alexandra has successfully completed the Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts and Advanced Diploma courses at the Royal Academy of Music while studying with the pianist Diana Ketler. She is currently a PhD candidate at the same institution where she is researching the piano compositions of George Enescu.