Joanna Harries & Aleksandra Myslek

Joanna Harries mezzo soprano
Aleksandra Myslek piano

Fantastic Beasts Strange creatures and things fantastical lurk amongst the trees in this programme of English, French, German & Scandinavian song – from sleepy elves and dangerous sprites to quarrelling birds and tap-dancing mice.

Clarke The Seal Man
Wolf Elfenlied (Mörike Lieder)
Schumann Lorelei
Debussy Chansons de Bilitis
Bizet La coccinelle
Rosenthal La Souris d‘Angleterre (Chansons de Monsieur Bleu)
Herbert The Lost Nightingale
Weir The song of the girl ravished away by the fairies in South Uist (Songs from the Exotic)
Stenhammar Jungfru Blond och Jungfru Brunnett Op.26, No.4
Grøndahl Skjærer Op.52, No.6
Gershwin Lorelei

Praised for her “stylish” singing (Opera Magazine) and the “emotional force” (The Times) of her performances, mezzo-soprano Joanna Harries studied at the RNCM and RCS before becoming a young artist at the National Opera Studio.

A keen recitalist, she is a City Music Foundation artist and a Making Music Recommended Artist, and previously a Britten Pears Young Artist and Handel House Talent artist. 2025 saw the launch of her debut song album Letters from Scandinavia with pianist Sholto Kynoch at the Oxford International Song Festival, hailed as “Vivid storytelling…It is meticulously researched and brilliantly executed” (BBC Radio 3).

Aleksandra Myslek is a pianist recognised for her performances across Europe, Mexico, and China. She began her musical journey with a strong connection to Chopin, earning both national and international prizes, including a special award from the National Fryderyk Chopin Society in Poland. Her education at the Royal Academy of Music included studies with Hamish Milne, Leon Fleisher, Fou Ts’ong, and Ferenc Rados.

Myslek has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Palau de la Música. She was a guest on BBC In Tune and participated in the BBC New Generation Artists concert, accompanying Erika Baikoff; this performance was broadcast on BBC World Service on New Year’s Day 2026. Her album with Florian Störtz for Delphian Records, featuring works by émigré composer Robert Kahn, was supported by the City Music Foundation.

Sponsored by an anonymous donor