Floraleda Sacchi is regarded by critics as one of the most interesting and original harpist in the international concert panorama:
“Floraleda invents a fascinating chapter of modern history of the harp” (La Repubblica), “the best harp playing ever heard” (American Record Guide) “Floraleda’s harp lends itself particularly well to the minimalist logic” (The Indipendent).
Floraleda recorded more than 30 albums for majors (Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Universal Music, Brilliant Classics, etc.).
Actually she records for Amadeus Arte, her own label, internationally distributed.
She won prizes at 16 competitions and performed as soloist in Asia, Australia, North and South America, Europe and Africa in major halls and festivals:
Carnegie Hall-Weill Recital Hall (New York – presented by Italian Artist Found.), United Nations Palace (New York), Gewandhaus (Leipzig), Konzerthaus (Berlin), Auditorium Binyanei Hauma (Jerusalem), Sala Verdi (Milan), Matsuo Hall (Tokyo), Prefectural Hall Alti (Kyoto), Salle Varèse (Lyon), Gasteig (Munich), Concerts de la Croix Rouge (Geneva), River Concert Series (Washington), Gessler Hall (Vancouver), CBC-Glenn Gould Studio (Toronto), Società del Quartetto Milano, Festival Musica no Museo (Rio de Janeiro), Auditorium della Conciliazione (Roma), Octobre Musical (Cartage-Tunis), Quintai Hall (China), etc.
She has been a soloist with numerous orchestras around the world, including in important radio-television broadcasts (for example the “Christmas Concert” broadcasted worldwide by RAI where she performed accompanied by the Italian Youth Orchestra).
Some projects should be mentioned:
– In 2014 she recorded and premiered “Kojiki” a concerto for harp and string orchestra composed by Manuel De Sica with the Toscanini Philharmonic (released by Brilliant Classics).
– In 2018 she presented “Magica y Misteriosa” a new concerto dedicated to her by Claudia Montero. Recorded with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra the album got a Latin Grammy, in 2018, “Best Classical Album” category.
Recently, she arranged the “Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi (replacing the solo violin with harp) performing the concertos in Europe and Canada with considerable success also realizing them on album.
In contemporary music Floraleda – beside the dozen of solo and chamber music pieces written for her – has also premiered the concertos for harp and orchestra “Slovo O” by Peter Machjdik (2013) and “Loreley Impressionen” by Howard Blake (2021).
Since 2015 she has embarked on a new, more personal path in making music, composing her own pieces and applying electronics, looper and effects to the harp, to develop an extremely personal sound and a new artistic identity.
Her first project in this direction, “Darklight” (2017) achieved unanimous acclaim and entered the classical charts of various countries around the world, taking her on tour to Australia, Spain, China and North America.
Her latest recording projects have obtained great appreciation, confirming her as one of the harpists with the highest number of recurring listeners that allow her to gain more than one million streams a year.
She composed music for theatre and cinema. One of the best known projects is her music for the play “Donna non rieducabile”. The show – which had more than 190 performances (including the European Parliament in Brussels to main Italian theaters) – was transformed by RAI 2 into a movie presented at the 66th Venice Film Festival and published in DVD by PromoMusic.
When 21, she won the Harpa Award (Prague, 1999) for her book on Elias Parish Alvars, a Romantic author for whom she is still considered the reference expert. She has written several articles appeared on major harp journals (American Harp Journal, Harpa, World Harp Congress Review) contributing to expand and discover Harp repertoire.
Alongside her concert career, Floraleda has always been active as artistic director of cultural events. She is currently the artistic director of festivals, a record label and the cultural projects of Amadeus Arte.
She is Harp Professor at “F. Torrefranca” Conservatory (Italian University) in Vibo Valentia and she hold masterclasses in important institutions in Europe, USA and Japan.
She is often Jury member in several competitions (Rovere D’oro, Music and Stars Award, Opus Artis Paris, etc.).
Born in Como (Italy), Floraleda was inspired to play the harp by Annie Challan’s recordings. She studied at Como Conservatory and perfectionated in Germany, USA and Canada with Alice Giles, Alice Chalifoux and Judy Loman.
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