During Long Leave, Music Scholar, Eliza, swapped beautiful Berkshire for the bright lights of London, to record at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. Collaborating as The Claire Jones Concert Ensemble with The American Youth Harp Ensemble and Shenandoah Conservatory, Eliza and the adept group of harpists laid down the tracks for a debut album.
When she is not performing in national and international concerts, Claire, is also Eliza’s dedicated teacher. Amongst a number of accolades that she has achieved throughout her career, from 2007 to 2011, Claire held the title of Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales.
Reflecting on her experience, Eliza, who has played the stringed instrument since the age of 8, commented, “I realised how lucky I was to record in such a special place because so many of the greats have recorded there. We recorded in the studio where the Beatles recorded, and I saw the piano that the Beatles used for their recordings. I hadn’t realised how huge the room would be and it was interesting how perfectly it was designed for its acoustics. To be in such an influential space was really inspiring for me and makes me even more committed to a career in music.”
With many of the student performers involved in the project, studying at the prestigious Royal College of Music, the Music and Media Department noted their pride for Eliza as she performed amongst the talented artists. Director of Music, Rosemary Scales, remarked “We’re incredibly proud of Eliza, who has spent her half term working on an incredibly exciting CD recording project with the wonderful Claire Jones at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. Well done Eliza!”
On Monday 28th February, Abbey Road Studios tweeted, “Ever wondered how many harps can fit into Studio Two? Well, international concert harpist @ClaireJones85 and her ensemble have been working on their debut album over the last week and have managed 34! We can’t wait to hear the results.” Claire responded, “Thank you @abbeyroadstudios for having us all last week! It was truly a delightful experience to be recording in the footsteps of so many legends! We had a blast!” “What a tremendously exciting week in the lives of our wonderful and talented harpists! It was a delight to accomplish our debut harp ensemble recording @AbbeyRoadStudios in two days! Thank you to all involved in making this happen. It was truly thrilling!”
Listen to Eliza in action as she performs ‘Christmas Melody’ composed by Chris Marshal of MarshallJones Music© as part of a 2020 live lounge recording session on the Park.
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