Renowned international violinist and acclaimed composer Harriet Mackenzie is collaborating with legendary guitarist Carlos Bonell in a unique guitar-violin concert, part of Music in Action’s 2024 International Guitar Festival. Here, Harriet talks to us about her work as a performer, composer, arranger and her passion for bringing music to those with little or no access to live music.
Harriet Mackenzie has performed across five continents as a concerto soloist. Her recordings include concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Nova and the English Symphony Orchestra and these have received international acclaim, including Five Stars in The Times (Richard Morrison) and have also frequently appeared in the ‘Top Recordings of The Year’ lists. These include a nomination for ‘Recording of The Year’ in Music Web International; ‘Editor’s Choice’ in Gramophone Magazine, cited for Harriet’s “superbly responsive playing … faultless technique and unfailing insight”.
Please give us a few personal/background details
Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me and to hear my thoughts. I'm really excited about the work of Music In Action and delighted to be able to draw more attention to this wonderful organisation. A few background details about myself - I'm a musician based in London, passionate about the transformative power of music. I'm lucky to have a career as a violinist which has taken me all over the world. I also compose, arrange music and improvise. I have been able to do all of these as part of the Jersey Liberation Festival which is an integral part of the work of the charity Music in Action - a festival which is putting Jersey musically on the international map.
I would also mention that as well as performing in high-profile concert halls around the world, I have also been lucky to work a lot bringing music to those with little, or no access to live music – in prisons, care-homes, hospitals, special schools and for dementia patients. There have been countless moving experiences from these concerts which I will never forget. This work is integral to the ethos of Music in Action and I am delighted to be part of these life-changing experiences on the island of Jersey.
What do you consider incisive moments in your career?
There have been so many wonderful performances and collaborations and travels. Performing in incredible concert halls in the far East has to be a highlight. I would also say that I am really proud of the concertos written and dedicated to me by such incredible composers as Julian Joseph, Deborah Pritchard, Robert Fokkens and Errollyn Wallen. No matter how high-profile the event is though, it is the connection with my fellow performers and the audience which make it really special and some of my most memorable concerts have been in really intimate, low-key settings and the outreach performances (as I mention above) have been truly amongst my favourite performances and have influenced my path more than I can say.
Talk to us about your collaboration with Music in Action and why you think music matters so much?
It is hard for me to put into words why I think music matters so much. I believe it is right at the core of our existence and a gateway to our very humanity. Words are not my medium, music is, so I will borrow some from someone much more eloquent than me - the brilliant neurologist Oliver Sacks: “Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears – it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more – it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity.”
I am very proud to have been involved in Music in Action right from the beginning and to have seen the benefits from the charity right from the start. I did the first recital in 2007 and it's been incredible to see how much it has grown. It is a truly incredible journey that started just with a violin and piano recital and has grown to have the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing in Jersey, principal dancers from the Royal Ballet, phenomenal soloists from all over the world and of course, very importantly, it is a platform, a positive enabler and proud showcase of the home-grown talent in Jersey. Just in the last year 5500 children attended the musical outreach programme with 124 outreach events. There are 74 children who are on the musical bursary scheme - they have their instruments and their lessons provided by the charity. At the Music in Action events there were over 3500 attendees and nearly 1000 participants - many of them talented individuals from Jersey - performing! I really believe this is enriching the island culturally and helping with the mental health of our young people.
What can we expect from your guitar-duo concert with Carlos Bonell on 9th November 2024?
It is such a joy to perform with Carlos and a real privilege. He is such a wonderful musician and a real gentleman. The programme has a real range - including a solo piece by Carlos himself! We will also be performing works by the violin virtuoso Pablo Sarasate, the Spanish composer De Falla and some beautiful, romantic works by Villa Lobos and Paganini. I really believe there's something for everyone in this programme and I'm really looking forward to sharing it with the audiences in Jersey.
What do you think is so special about string music and the violin specifically?
I believe the violin is closest to the human voice. I grew up listening to opera singers and always wanted to emulate that intrinsically human element. There is something deeply emotional about about the sound of the violin which has always captivated me. With guitar or piano, you strike the note and the sound fades, there's nothing more you can do, but with violin, every second of sound you have control over and you can grow in intensity make it full of meaning. I also love the repertoire for violin - we have access to such incredible works and such great composers.
What can we look forward to from you next? Commissions, performances, recordings, other projects?
There's so much going on that I don't know where to start! I'll stick to things that are in connection with Jersey. I'm thrilled that I have recently recorded the violin concerto which Christopher Gunning wrote for me with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and this will be coming out in the next few months. Jersey Liberation Festival goers may remember that he wrote a movement of this for the festival which I premiered with the Jersey Chamber Orchestra in 2022. Christopher had a love of Jersey and the Channel Islands and it is so special that the work is recorded and his love of the island will be aurally conveyed to people around the world. I am also really excited that the Argentinian composer Ariel Pirotti is writing a Tango violin concerto which will be premiered in the 2025 Jersey Liberation Festival. These new commissions mean that Jersey is internationally on the map as a leading light for musical innovation. I also met the legendary pianist Peter Donohoe at the Jersey Liberation Festival and we started a musical collaboration and we have just been asked to record all the Brahms Sonatas by Signum which is a project I am really looking forward to. I am also looking forward to the Claude Cahun/Marcel Moore project with the Jersey actress Flora McAngus which we will be performing in the 2025 festival - a fascinating insight into the resistance against the Nazis of these two extraordinary artists.
Name a couple of violinists you would you have liked to perform with if they were still alive
I would have love to have performed with Joseph Joachim - the violinist who was friends with Brahms and that Brahms wrote a lot of his music for. If I could infiltrate that social and musical circle a bit it would be so fascinating - to spend time with Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Joseph Joachim. Oh! To be just a fly on the wall, let alone to be able to play with them.... Also the violinist Jelly d'Aranyi (interestingly a great-niece of Joseph Joachim) for whom Ravel wrote his famous 'Tzigane'. Bartok wrote his two violin sonatas - and she performed with Bartok! She sounds like a fascinating character and she must have been an extraordinary player!
Which instrument/s, other than the violin, would you wish to be a virtuoso at and why?
The kazoo! No, seriously, I would love to be a virtuoso at the piano. It is one of my regrets that I gave it up at the age of 14. It would have helped me so much with my composition and arranging. I am trying to learn it again now, but I am very, very far from being a virtuoso! I would encourage anyone thinking of giving up to just keep going. So many people (like me!) regret giving up. There is so much reward from it – unquantifiable rewards! Neurologically, socially, emotionally, spiritually….. It is such a gift to be able to play and to share music. I'm so lucky to be able come to the beautiful island of Jersey - which feels a bit like a second home now - and share music with the people of Jersey for Music in Action.